Machine Gun Kelly, real name Colson Baker, described how even though their sets were canceled due to inclement weather, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl invited them all for drinks, where Hawkins ensured he spent time with them.
“Like, every single one of us, man, down to… my assistant,” Machine Gun Kelly remembered. “They’re relating over, ‘Oh you’re from Topanga? I’m from Topanga!’ It was like, dude, he’s such a beautiful soul, man.”
Kelly also had a message for Hawkins’s three children.
“I really want to thank him and let his kids know that he made us feel, in a time where the outside world, outside of the fans, and the outside world was really coming in hard on us, he made us feel so confident in ourselves and loved,” the 31-year-old continued. “Your father is a great, great man, and we were all lucky to know him, and we all appreciate that night more than anyone will know.”
Machine Gun Kelly had previously alluded to that night in a comment on Tommy Lee’s tribute post, writing, “Wednesday night me and Taylor talked about you and how much we both love you.”
Hawkins died at a hotel in Bogotá, Colombia, after suffering chest pain. Local authorities are still investigating his sudden passing.
A judge denied Future’s request to dismiss a lawsuit over his High Off Life album’s title.
Future will face trademark infringement claims after being sued by another rapper, who owns a company named High Off Life.
The diamond-selling artist asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed based on First Amendment protections, but Judge W. Scott Hardy determined such a ruling would be premature.
“Although Defendants cite various cases in which a court granted a motion to dismiss Lanham Act claims by applying Rogers, as one court has observed, ‘consideration of the Rogers defense on a motion to dismiss appears to be the exception, not the rule,’” Hardy wrote. “In this instance, even if the Court were to accept Defendants’ invitation to apply the Rogers framework as a valid defense to HOL’s claims, the Court concludes that a motion to dismiss is not the appropriate stage in this litigation to address the applicability of the First Amendment defense.”
Future argued that his use of High Off Life met the standards of the Rogers Test, which allows the title of an artistic work to be protected from the Lanham Act. It must have artistic relevance and not be arbitrarily chosen to receive First Amendment protection from the Lanham Act, which prohibits trademark infringement.
“While the Album would appear to qualify as a work of artistic expression subject to the Rogers framework, it is unclear whether Rogers is applicable to the Alleged Infringing Goods, particularly given that the Third Circuit Court of Appeals has expressed doubt as to its applicability beyond the title of a work of artistic expression,” Judge Hardy noted. “Accordingly, further factual development of the record relative to the nature of the Alleged Infringing Goods will aid in ultimately resolving this issue.”
Future claimed he deliberately selected High Off Life for a title since it reflected the content of the album. But Judge Hardy said this hasn’t been clearly established as a fact, leading him to allow the case to proceed.
“Despite Defendants’ assertions, at this stage, the Court has no evidence concerning Future’s intent in choosing the Album’s title or that the Album is a product of Future’s reflection on his life and recognition of his good fortune,” he wrote in his ruling. “Contrary to Defendants’ suggestion, it is not readily apparent from the song titles Defendants cite (Touch the Sky, Hard to Choose One, Trillionaire, Too Comfortable, Accepting My Flaws and Life is Good), that the Album title ‘High Off Life’ is artistically relevant to the content of the Album. Rather, Defendants’ arguments are factual contentions that must be balanced against HOL’s allegations, and therefore are better addressed at the summary judgment stage.”
Future released his High Off Life album in 2020. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The company suing him has been using the name for well over a decade.
High Off Life’s founder Zach Richards, who raps under the name Phene, began using the mark in 2004. He’s been selling High Off Life branded apparel and merchandise since 2009.
Thus far, the event of the 94th Academy Awards is still arousing a slew of reactions. Needless to say, the Best Actor, reminds the world of his passionate and his protective nature. Moreover, Tommy Davidson dishes on a heated incident that he had with Will Smith.
As a matter of fact, the situation centered on Jada Pinkett-Smith. At the time, along with the actress, Tommy Cat was filming, Woo. Unbeknownst to his co-star, the comedian had previously spoke with the movie’s producers about changing its ending.
Recently, the consummate creative remotely visited Good Day New York. While, speaking with Rosanna Sotto, he recalls a near fight with the West Philly native. In fact, Big Will stepped to the comic and quickly tested his gangster.
Again, Jada was against the movie’s proposed changes of including a wet smooch at its end. So, miscommunication nearly leads to mayhem. “They didn’t tell the truth [to Jada],” claims the stand up individual.
Of course, “Will comes into the trailer, and he’s looking like the other night coming towards me,” shares Tommy Davidson. “I had no idea what he was talking about, so words were exchanged, and I asked him to go outside, and Jada didn’t let it get to that level.”
Press play and get all the info. Remember, Tommy says it best, “When emotions is high common sense is at an all-time low.” However, some folks do not take too kindly to disrespect.
Thus far, Tha Doggfather continues to earn the distinction of many lauded adjectives. However, is this creative confidant ignoring his responsibilities? Recently, did Snoop Dogg inadvertently leak Dr. Dre’s Detox tracklist?
So, there are many questions surrounding this slippery social media snafu. All the same, Hip-Hop is smiling. Could the legendary lyricist be instrumental in assisting Dr. Dre?
Hmmmmm, let’s explore. Actually, the Back On Death Row boss is capable of anything. Remember, at the top of the year, he was true to his culture and C-walked for a global audience. By all means, Snoopzilla is celebrated for giving the people what they want.
Be that as it may, the anticipated effort has spent over a decade in lyrical purgatory. Well, is 2022 the year of Detox? Hopefully, the Long Beach wordsmith works his creative magic.
As of late, studio sessions with Snoop Dogg are informing social media. As a matter of fact, a now deleted Instagram post is dripping with delicious material. An emphatic whiteboard contains the juicy details.
In fact, a tracklist is seemingly on full display. To date, five of the listed songs have already appeared on another project, Grand Theft Auto V. All the same, could the other listed tracks actually be included on Dre’s fabled album?
Come on Snoopy, please do the part to help make this happen!
So, Tony Rock emphatically answers the question. What good is the truth if it’s watered down? In fact, he sends a clear message to the Best Actor. Rock assures Will Smith that he’s nominated for “these hands.”
In essence, the solid showman is reaffirming his perspective. Recently, the good folks at The Shade Room captured a portion of the Tony’s set. There, he vehemently spit venom towards the Smiths.
Still, the fallout from the 2022 Oscar’s Slap Down, remains divisive. However, the established entertainer is emphatically Team Rock. Again, while on stage, Tony torches on both Will Smith and his wife, Jada. Soon, the funny man flexes his acrid wordplay. “If you think you gonna to walk up on this stage, this ain’t the mother**king Oscars!”
Of course, the commentary continues, “And, if you walk your a** up here, you ain’t nominated for sh*t but these motherf*cking hands!” exclaims Chris Rock’s younger brother. Above all, the serious comic conveys that he is on go time. “Oh, we going to pop the rest of the year, n*gga. Every time you see me do a show, pop!”
“I didn’t want to start the show like that,” he admits. Nevertheless, Tony Rock is big mad and he says as much. “You gonna hit my mother**king brother because your b#### gave you a side-eye?”
Open format DJ & Producer, Miami-based Chizzle is known for his high-energy sets & is truly a force to be reckoned with. Chizzle studies the audience & seamlessly blends every genre from hip-hop, electro, Latin, house, & current hits across the nation & internationally.
Chizzle has earned his place as one of the most in-demand open-format DJs playing over 200 shows a year. He has played coast to coast across top nightclubs including LIV (Miami), E11even (Miami), 1Oak (NYC & Tokyo), The Grand (Boston), Avalon Mohegan (CT), Hyde Beach (Miami), Trio (Charleston), Tunnel (Chicago), Summit (Austin), Daer (FTL) & Lex (Reno). Chizzle’s unique style has propelled him to showcase his skills in nightlife entertainment across the nation & internationally in New York, Tokyo, Osaka Japan, Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Austin, Sacramento, Reno, OKC, Nashville, & D.C.
Chizzle has been a supporting act for artists including Drake, Future, Diplo, Dillon Francis, RL Grime, Travis Scott, A-Trak, Swae Lee, Chris Brown, Tory Lanez, Borgeous, ASAP Ferg, Cash Cash, Loud Luxury, Carnage, Nora En Pure, and others. His remixes have been played on the biggest stages including Ultra & EDC by top universal talent including Marshmello, Tiesto, Diplo, The Chainsmokers, & Major Lazer.
Performing internationally has led Chizzle to play in front of high-profile celebrities on a nightly basis. His corporate client list ranges from Tiffany & Co, Soul Cycle, Equinox, Hugo Boss, Lululemon, Victoria’s Secret, Disney, EA Sports, JP Morgan, IMax, & Redbull.
Chizzle’s remixes & custom music edits are featured regularly on Diplo & Friends, Pitbull’s Globalization, and every DJ record pool in the world including DJ City, Headliner Music Club, Club Killers, & BPM Supreme. Chizzle’s live mixes have gained much attention, which led him to become a live guest DJ mixer on Miami’s top party radio station, Power 96.5 & Orlando’s Power 95.3.
This momentum has led him to become the official tour DJ for Austin Mahone. This has given Chizzle the opportunity to perform internationally in front of crowds of 60,000+ in Madrid & Japan. Chizzle is truly a force to be reckoned with & paving the way to be one of the elite open-format DJs in the world.
Speaking to Ice Cube, Snoop teased, “I just might sell ‘Nuthin’ But a G Thang’ next month.”
The song, on which Snoop featured, was originally released in 1992 on Dr. Dre’s debut solo album The Chronic.
Discussing his plans for Death Row’s emerging artists, he said, “Death Row Records is the first major label to be an NFT label…creating content where people can actually own and trade. We dropped a mixtape last month, and it did a great thing for us as far as communicating, getting us in the community (and) engaging with a lot of artists that had no foundation or platform.
“It also showed us that this community is in dire need of great music, and that’s what we plan on doing. We plan on bringing great music and great artists… This is what Death Row is all about, trying to expand and take it to new regions,” Snoop Dogg said.
Following Snoop’s purchase of Death Row, fans spotted some of the label’s albums were missing from streaming services. During the conversation, the rapper explained that Gala Music will be the “exclusive place that Death Row lives in the Metaverse.”
“We plan on giving people access to buying and trading some of these classic songs, classic records that were the foundation of Death Row, and along the lines get these new records,” he added.
The lines feature bras, underwear, bodysuits, and matching sets, ranging from sizes XS-6X.
Announcing Yitty on Instagram on Wednesday, the 33-year-old insisted she wants to help people embrace who they are.
“This is a love letter to my big grrrls, and a welcome letter to Every Body. This is not an invitation to change who you are… this is an opportunity to BE who you are on your terms,” she wrote. “I don’t know about y’all – but I’m sick of people telling me how I’m supposed to look and feel about my body. I’m tired of discomfort being synonymous with sexy. If it’s uncomfortable TAKE IT OFF. And if it makes you feel good PUT IT ON. @YITTY isn’t just shapewear, it’s your chance to reclaim your body and redefine your beauty standard.”
Lizzo told The New York Times that she did not even want to call her products shapewear, preferring the term “bodywear,” but nobody knew what that meant.
She added that she wants to help others “enjoy autonomy” with their bodies.
“I don’t want to be the only one who can enjoy autonomy with my body because I am now in a privileged position where people want to make me stuff and I can afford it,” she explained. “I want to help other people out in that way too, so they’re not just looking at me and thinking, ‘Damn, I wish I could afford custom thousand-dollar pieces.'”
The “Juice” singer serves as the chief executive and co-founder of Yitty and appears in the advertising campaigns.
Yitty will be sold on its own website, the Fabletics website, and in Fabletics stores.
Sources say Kanye West is going away to get help after months of publicly blasting his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, her family, and her new boyfriend on social media.
The insider, who is close to the Kardashian family, shared, “For the sake of the kids, Kanye has told Kim he’s not making any public appearances or inflammatory social media statements, and he will go away somewhere to get better.”
According to Page Six, the person said the producer would be going into a treatment facility in Los Angeles.
A spokesperson on the billionaire multi-hyphenate’s team said, “At this time, Ye is committed to a healthy co-parenting relationship with Kim and is focused on raising their beautiful children.”
Ye and Kim Kardashian have four children together, North West, 8; Saint West, 6; Chicago West, 4; and Psalm West, 2.
The world knows that rapper Quavo, one of the members of the group Migos, loves basketball. However, tonight the world will know basketball loves him too.
Well, at least, one of the NBA’s finest teams does – and they plan to show him their fondness on his birthday.
According to the Gwinnett Daily Post, the Atlanta Hawks will be hosting Quavo Night tonight (Saturday, April 2nd) during their game against the Brooklyn Nets.
The evening will be presented by SportsRadio 92-9, The Game, and The People’s Station, V-103.
The team plans to celebrate the birthday boy, who will be turning 31, for his enthusiastic support of the Hawks and the community.
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate [my birthday] than with a team I’ve supported for so many years,” Quavo remarked. “The Hawks are family to me, and I’m one of their biggest supporters. I’m looking forward to taking home this win and celebrating together for the year’s best party.”
Before the tipoff, the Hawks management will give the “Straightenin” rapper the mic to welcome the fans to his birthday bash. No respectable bash is without music.
The soundtrack of the evening will be a special playlist pumped through the State Farm Arena that will be curated, featuring all of Quavo’s favorite Atlanta songs.
As a bonus for them, he will join radio personality Big Tigger and introduce both teams’ starting lineups.
Quavo Night falls on one of the team’s Forever 404 Nights, celebrating the Hawk’s 2021-22 NBA City Edition uniforms.
When it comes down to the Kanye West and Pete Davidson beef, rapper-turned-actor Machine Gun Kelly says he “totally” has SNL star’s back.
The Cleveland native and Davidson have been boys forever, and the artist told Howard Stern on his SiriusXM show that that trumps his rap connection to Ye and has been there for him to help him navigate the attention that comes with the West-Kardashian drama.
The “Emo Girl” rapper said he has “totally” been there for Davidson, especially after Ye said in a new song he was going to “beat Pete Davidson’s ass.”
“I got thrown into that [the drama] too, oddly enough,” he said.
He said to Stern, “At the end of the day, man, we’re young men trying to find our place in the world and figuring it out.”
He said, “It doesn’t really help when you’ve got a million different voices ripping you apart or telling you, ‘You’re doing this wrong,'”
But what makes it work is that Davidson is really into the billionaire reality star. When Stern asked him, “What do you make of him with Kim Kardashian?”
“I’m so happy for him,” MGK said. He even talked about the two couples double dating. One time, they rented a movie theater for them to watch a movie together as a crew, only to discover the film was awful.
At the end of the day, the rapper with the rock-star sensibilities said he and his boy just wants peace and harmony.
“We love everybody, man,” he continued. “We have so much love. It’s almost like, if we need to be the vessels for someone’s anger, then so be it. That must be why we’re here. I do hope that they can feel our spirit and see that we love you.”
Oscars producer Will Packer has claimed the Los Angeles Police Department was “prepared” to arrest Will Smith after he slapped Chris Rock during the Academy Awards
.
Will Packer, who produced Sunday’s ceremony, told Good Morning America in an interview that LAPD officers were willing to arrest Smith for battery after he slapped Rock in response to a joke made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
However, Rock wasn’t interested in taking further action and was “dismissive” about his options during a conversation backstage.
“They were saying, ‘This is battery.’ That was the word they used in that moment,” Packer recalled. “They said, ‘We will go get him. We are prepared. We will go get him right now. You can press charges. We can arrest him.’ They were laying out the options. And as they were talking, Chris was, he was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, ‘No, I’m fine.’ He was like, ‘No, no, no.’ And even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish.’ The LAPD officers finish laying out what his options were. And they said, ‘Would you like us to take any action?’ And he said, ‘No’.”
Representatives for the LAPD released a statement on Sunday night stating that they were “aware” of the incident, but that “the individual involved has declined to file a police report.”
The Academy claimed on Wednesday that Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and he refused. However, sources close to the situation have alleged he was never directly asked to leave the Dolby Theatre.
The Academy’s Board of Governors has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Smith “for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behaviour, and compromising the integrity of the Academy.”
The disciplinary action will be decided on April 18th.
It’s the late Summer of 2017. A thick humidity looms in the air as a young 16-year-old Jada Simone prepares to perform her very first remix, or as she has coined it, ‘J-Mix.’ It is her rendition of fellow R&B icon Tory Lane’s Say It. Jada positions her cracked iPhone 7’s front-facing camera towards her as she shuffles around in the passenger seat of her Toyota Camry, occasionally readjusting the car seat to ensure she has sufficient space and adequate camera angles. Her phone is firmly standing in the front windshield of her car and being upheld by a wedged piece of cardboard. She plugs her phone into her car radio, and the instrumental begins to play.
A smooth cocktail of trumpets and 808s blasts through the speakers as Jada uses the windshield visor to block the sun rays from glaring in her face. Within seconds Jada has harmonized with the record and a mesmerizing vocal exudes effortlessly from this 16-year-old talent. She delivers a riveting performance and a completely new take on the popular song. Utilizing her own lyrics and her vast experience with betrayals and heartbreaks she proves herself to be a master of confrontational balladry.
This performance however was unlike most as Jada would not be presenting her music in front of a live audience. She also wouldn’t be appearing on an actual stage. — Well, not a physical stage. Perhaps I can clarify. Jada would be performing her cover and posting it to her Instagram for what she believed would only amass the views of her peers, and a few thousand followers. Unbeknownst to her, Jada was laying the cement that would eventually foster the road to her massive success while simultaneously making her a viral sensation.
Jada’s rise to stardom was unorthodox as it didn’t come from her making her own original music, at least not at first. Jada’s viral Instagram car videos became something that her followers looked forward to. Jada quickly grew her following by thousands overnight while tapping into a level of social media fame that she had never imagined. After her first Instagram J-mix received praise and accolades from her peers and fans of her music, she watched her views quickly climb to over 200K. Jada received recognition from her favorite R&B singers, many of which who served as an inspiration to her flourishing musical journey.
At the age of only 20, Jada had written and co-produced for R&B megastars, even expanding her pen game to different genres and classifications of music. A switch of pace in her journey has prompted us to sit down with the young R&B star as she now is preparing to independently release her very own project titled ‘Ambivalent’
“The whole experience is surreal to me. I literally put a video out for my family and friends, and people loved it. I’ve been singing since I was 4, and I’ve always loved to write. I started writing my own pieces to songs that I enjoyed listening to. By the grace of God, I’m here because apparently other people like to listen as well (chuckles). I’m just humbled to be in this position and I’m so excited to share what I have in store for my core fans. Ambivalent is very special to me” — Jada
We’re excited to see and hear this highly anticipated project from Jada, and she has promised us the exclusive when it releases. Stay tuned as we’ll cover it first and we’re confident you will be hearing so much more from Jada Simone, the soon-to-be Princess of R&B.
Hearing others say they can’t do something well crushes most people’s spirits. The desire for external approval has suffocated many dreams before they ever begin. Chasing the spotlight has never been the aim for budding rapper L1H. In fact, proving that he can execute his dreams without bending the knee to the pressure of mainstream appeal has only served as a catalyst to further fortify his independent workmanship and drive.
This London-based talent is not your average performer, his grit, decisiveness, and perseverance, are all driving forces in his life, allowing him to return to the studio with bigger barriers to break and new limits to crush.
L1H’s obsessive passion for music began at a young age. Nobody thought he’d be able to do anything with it. As a result, a career in music was never something he ever believed he would be pursuing. Despite the voices in his head, he was unfazed by the criticism and endured in chasing his passion––persisting to stay true to himself while still paying tribute to where he came from.
From a career standpoint, L1H has proven that he is in it for the long term. His outstanding ability to produce noise and exceptional art has brought him this far, thus it’s inevitable for his star power to remain the same. We anticipate increased personal engagement, extensive digital promotion, and more appearances in the public space this year.
Kim Kardashian decided to rename her KKW Fragrance following her split from Kanye West.
The reality television star revealed plans to rebrand the fragrance via social media on Friday (April 1). Kim Kardashian said she will take down her KKW Fragrance website in May.
“On May 1st at midnight, @kkwfagrance will be shutting down the website so that we can relaunch fragrance in the future under a brand new name — and under a new web store where you can purchase from all beauty categories under one site,” she wrote.
Kim Kardashian also announced a sale. While the KKW Fragrance site remains up, customers will be able to get 40 percent off all items.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your loyalty and love these last few years,” she wrote. “I cannot wait to introduce you to the next chapter of my fragrance journey — I promise I won’t be gone for too long. In the meantime, enjoy 40% off sitewide until supplies last.”
The rebranding efforts come weeks after a judge granted Kim Kardashian’s request to be legally single again.
She officially dropped “West” from her name amid her divorce from Kanye West. The former couple still must settle other divorce matters such as child custody and property.
Rap star Will Smith has preemptively resigned from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for smacking Chris Rock in the face during the Oscar Awards.
The Academy is supposed to meet next week to discuss punishments for Will, but the rapper/actor decided to resign before he got the boot -. which was quite possibly a punishment he was facing.
Will Smith wrote another letter to the Academy, taking full responsibility for violently attacking Chris Rock, which he admitted was inexcusable.
“I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable,” Will Smith wrote.
He continued, “The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken.
“I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film,” Will Smith continued. “So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and will accept any further consequences the board deems appropriate.”
Will Smith vowed. To do the work to change to “never again allow violence to overtake reason.”
Will Smith’s fans, attendees, and millions of viewers were speechless when he smacked Chris Rock for making an off-color joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Other sources claim a 3-second video the Academy is allegedly holding back could reveal why Will went from laughing at Chris Rock’s joke to flying into a fit of rage.
To make matters worse, another clip of Jada Pinkett Smith laughing at Chris Rock after her husband smacked the comedian has gone viral.
Chris Rock has yet to address the issue. However, he touched on the controversy on the opening night of his “Ego Death” tour, which kicked off in Boston on March 30th.
The comedian admitted he did not have any material addressing the “slap hurt around the world.”
The veteran comedian admitted he was still “processing” what had happened himself.
Recently, 50 Cent blasted a crazy claim that he was robbed at Tony Yayo’s birthday party. Thus far, he has cultivated one of Hip-Hop’s most compelling voices. Be that as it may, his moves are usually under a microscope.
Of course, this is done both figuratively and literally. Despite the fact, that the shindig took place in his home borough of Queens, the rumor is still wildly circulating. On the other hand, the gossip about the “Many Men” MC is not too surprising.
Earlier this week, back on Tuesday (March 29), the diversified mogul was front and center for all the festivities. Atlantis New York was the scene of the supposed jacking. There, the certified boss man allegedly met with adversity.
In fact, the celebratory Yayo recalls, “@AtlantisNewYork was a Fk’n Movie last night!!📽💵💸💸💸…. Of course, he makes mention of “the Big Homie.” Also, Tony ensures to thank,”….Brooklyn Nets 🏀 @andredrummondd and Yuuuuuuup @TreySongz for pulling up!!!” So, it seems that the lyricist thoroughly enjoyed himself.
50 cent shares DMs of The Shade Room trying to hit people up and ask if he got robbed lastnight pic.twitter.com/gBDdirkxxW
All of this sounds like a movie? So, when does it become a horror flick? Well, let the Shade Room tell it, their eye-spy detectives were alleging that something nefarious happened to Fiddy.
Furthermore, they reached out to a host of folks with a burning question. “Hi! We’re hearing that 50 Cent got robbed last night after attending the Atlantis. Can you confirm if that’s true?” reads the misguided message.
Nevertheless, the hands-on entrepreneur personally replied to the “investigation.” Then, Mr. Jackson quickly quipped “The shaderoom must have a slow news day today making up sh*t. You would have heard somebody got man down out there fool. I’m tapped in, I even get your little messages Smh.”
Finally, the rapper assured the public, “This is the kinda sh*t they are doing, stop sending people this kinda s###. TF wrong with you.” Above all Tony Yayo had the last word. He emphatically exclaimed, “📽🦍💨When the Unit Pull Up…It’s nothing but CASH & ASSSSSZZZzzzz!”
Piggy wound up in a hospital after finding herself in the line of gunfire in Cleveland.
The rapper and several others suffered injuries in a shooting at Cleveland’s Medusa Restaurant and Lounge on March 26. Piggy shared information about her road to recovery in an update on her Instagram.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share this WITH y’all or not but I’m too loved to be having y’all worrying,” she wrote. “IM STRONG BUT ITS GON BE A PROCESS . … but one thing fasho & a million things fa certain is GOD & BIANCA don’t play about me!!!”
She continued, “But I just want yall to know I’m feeling better each and everyday and I really appreciate all of the love prayers and kind words I needed that!! @badguwrlbianca if I don’t know nothing else I know you always gon have my front & imma always have yo back no questions!! PS them ngas still some ho’s and did the job sloppy!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbvJvFZurNx/
Piggy previously spoke about the danger she’s faced in Cleveland in an interview with AllHipHop.
“Violence, I saw people get killed,” she said. “I grew up fighting, I was a fighter. I grew up seeing people get killed, a typical hood story basically. I got caught up in the mix a lot. For a minute I had, I was doing good. I was a smart girl, I’d graduated high school. I won over $40K in scholarships.”
She added, “I went to school, got caught up with some wrong people. Last year I had caught 3 F1 cases for fighting, felonious assaults, aggravated robberies. I got all types of felonies on my record, I got caught up in some trouble. I’m trying to overcome that now, change who I am and not let that define who I am.”
Read AllHipHop’s entire interview with Piggy here.
Atlanta police arrested a suspect accused of killing LaKevia Jackson, who had a child with Young Thug.
Joshua Fleetwood was taken into custody on Thursday (March 31). He faces murder and firearms charges in connection to the March 17 shooting of Jackson, who’s the mother of Young Thug’s son Kyvion.
“Investigators were able to identify 25-year-old Joshua Fleetwood as a suspect in this case,” Atlanta police announced. “On March 20, 2022, investigators secured warrants charging Mr. Fleetwood with felony murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.”
The statement continued, “On March 31, 2022, Mr. Fleetwood was apprehended by the members of the Atlanta Police Department’s Fugitive Unit, along with the U.S. Marshals Service’s Southeast Regional Fugitive Taskforce. Mr. Fleetwood was transported to the Atlanta Police Department Headquarters before being taken to the Fulton County Jail.”
Fleetwood allegedly shot Jackson over a dispute about a bowling ball. An argument at Atlanta’s Metro Fun Center spilled out into the parking lot and erupted in gunfire.
Jackson, 31, died from injuries suffered in the shooting. Following her death, Jackson’s mother informed a CBS affiliate in Atlanta about her daughter’s connection to Young Thug.
MPR Riche Rich is here to remind you to “Live In The Moment,” which is also the name of his standout single that was released at the top of this year. Immediately when you hear “Granny we made it! We poppin’ bottles we counting this money, we standing on tables,” you already know the good vibes that are about to ensue.
Hailing from the West Side of Detroit, the rising star is here to spread nothing but motivation and positivity, ingrained with a hustler’s mentality since he can remember. Growing up in a family of 5 and having to take care of his siblings and family, Riche Rich prides himself in his humility and entrepreneur mindset, while using his marketing expertise to push and brand himself as a recording artist.
Riche describes himself as an “entrepreneur, family man, businessman, but the most important thing right now is artist. That’s my deliverance to the world about who I am, what I do, and why I do it. Being an artist gave me the flavor that gives people the cool look that people attract to, versus giving it to them straightforward about what it is that they need to be doing, how they should be doing it, or what part of life matters. Gave them the different appearance for a different situation to give them the same gain.”
MPR stands for Money, Power, Respect, and MPR Riche Rich is the true definition of a go-getter. Beyond music, Rich operates a podcast and plays every role in the art of filmmaking. He’s also writing his own book titled “Life Without The Possibility To See Daylight.”
AllHipHop: You’re from Detroit. I feel like more than ever, Detroit is having its moment in hip-hop.
MPR Riche Rich: Detroit got a crazy wave right now! That’s the crazy thing about it: when I left Detroit, this was 2014, it was hard to get the Detroit sound even to be heard. We had people that were hot, but they were just hot in the city. They weren’t globally accepted. Now, they’re taking it to another platform of letting other artists in the door, which we still haven’t necessarily crossed over a certain plateau because there’s still gatekeepers there. But we’ve seen Big Sean there, we’ve seen Tee Grizzley. That’s industry, and that’s where it crossed over versus us being independent and being stuck in a certain category.
AllHipHop: Do you consider yourself different from the other Detroit rappers?
MPR Riche Rich: Yes, very well. The difference between me and them is they keep a certain image or a certain look on how they’re seen. I take it to another level because I’m more of a global type of person. I got songs overseas with people in Greece that are superstars. I’ve got songs with people in Europe, other countries. I’m not more so trying to be seen in just the city, it’s a worldly thing versus I just wanna be known in America or to these certain type of people.
I’m literally trying to be known all over the world, we’re trying to plan a world tour based off of this “Live in the Moment” song. That’s what separates the category, bringing knowledge to the game that I come with, versus what most artists are doing. They’re just musicians. They don’t know the business, they’re not trying to learn the business. They’re trying to get signed, versus me not trying to get signed and do the same thing that signed artists are doing.
AllHipHop: You were actually in the military. Were you doing that before the music?
MPR Riche Rich: Yeah, I joined in 2008 and it kept going till 2013 when I got out. But I had an incident inside where I was in prison. Once I got out, I said “I’m gonna just push music.” Because I was already living the rapper’s lifestyle, I just wasn’t a rapper. I’m a step into it and take it serious, do it the right way. Have something you can be known for honorably, without people looking at you with judgment. That’s why I went to the military: to have a legacy. To say you did something with yourself, to say you didn’t waste your time. When it was “hey, what do you do next?” — because to most people, that looked like I failed because I got out.
It really was all a learning process for me because it showed me how to move now that I’m in the music. I have more patience. I have more longevity. I have more tenacity to the situation. I’m understanding. Everything’s more enhanced because I went through a certain training that the average person never even went through. That’s what gives me a different outlook on life and that’s what separates me again from a regular Detroit artist.
Nobody from Detroit has been in the military. If they have, I don’t really know that part. But in today’s society, most people haven’t been to the military coming out of Detroit. Even when I went to the military, it was a big deal. “You talking about going to the military? We in the military in the streets!” It took it to another level doing that.
AllHipHop: Were you doing music in the military?
MPR Riche Rich: No, I didn’t do music in the military. I was being a soldier at that point.
AllHipHop: What’d you learn about yourself?
MPR Riche Rich: I learned a lot of stuff. I went airborne, so I was jumping out of planes. I learned how to not lash out to things, like you’ve gotta be able to hold so much stuff. You’ve gotta be able to take in so much stuff because there’s so many things happening. What they’re training you for is to be ready for any given moment, any situation. No matter if you’ve got bullets coming at you, you still gotta be locked and loaded. You still gotta be aware. You can’t run and there’s bullets coming at you. You gotta think to shoot because your battle might be getting hit, you gotta help him and shoot.
It taught you things differently than the streets. The streets teach you to be aware, but this was another level of awareness because it was trained awareness, versus your natural abilities and your natural instincts of being like “Oh something’s going on, get out of there” or do something to react to it. This taught you how to react, why to react, when to react. It was a different type of training versus “Oh, I’m just aware because of my surroundings.” It was tactics and training that even somebody like Detroit D.U.S.T, he’s going crazy right now with the tactical training.
AllHipHop: What is tactical training?
MPR Riche Rich: Where he’s showing people how to get out of situations. When you’re in situations, you gotta learn how to get out of them. Seeing that is a whole nother platform of that’s what we was taught. Now, can you use this in real life? You learn how to use it in real life versus just seeing something on TV, and that’s the difference.
AllHipHop: Who are your biggest influences? Who made you want to do music?
MPR Riche Rich: I was a big fan of Big Herk, Blade, Trick Trick, those guys were people who I idolized coming up because they were in the city. Then you have the Lil Wayne’s, the Jay Z’s, the Dr. Dre’s, Master P’s and all of them. Yo, these guys are doing this on a whole nother level. At the given time, I was just a student. I wasn’t really in it to be a musician, I just like the game. What could I do to fit my description for the same thing that I already was doing and living like? It was music. That’s when I stepped in here and said “I’m a take it serious,” and I haven’t looked back.
AllHipHop: How’d you build your social media following?
MPR Riche Rich: I started off doing a lot of promotion and marketing. I used to wrap vehicles. I still do this same type of stuff, just not as heavy as I used to. I used to run from every showcase to every festival to every Bike Week and REVOLT concerts, all that. I used to wrap vans and I wrapped the party bus, I wrapped the box truck. I’d ride with my image all over, then I’d have super extra crazy marketing material. I had t-shirts, CDs, stickers, dog tags, stuff that was memorabilia for people. I’d do that over and over, did that for 4 or 5 years. Our first tour, we made $25K just off merch. My music was nowhere near the level that it is today, but it wasn’t even about the music, it was the marketing campaign. That’s what showed me “oh, if you can do this like this, you can really take it to another level.”
Because people are see-ers. If you look like this, they don’t know how to separate you from this or that, and that was the whole thing. It was the look that gave everybody the perception of “okay, he is somebody.” They didn’t know who I was, but the image and the look. If you see somebody arrive with 5 wrapped vehicles, they’re definitely doing something. They got merch for you to check out, you’ve got music playing in every one of the cars. You doing showcases on the street.
People still to this day tap in with me like “Bro, I remember you from SXSW” or “I remember you from Bike Week and you was doing this. I can’t believe where you at now.” You gave people hope way back then, they seen the process. Now, you still independent? And you still working? It’s giving those same people like damn, I really can probably do this.” A lot of the people when I started to now, which is 7 years, you gotta imagine how many people quit within this time. Just because it’s too hard, it’s too much. They expect so much from you and give you so less being independent. It was a whole vibe forreal.
AllHipHop: What inspired “Live in the Moment”?
MPR Riche Rich: The inspiration to “Live in the Moment” was the pandemic. Everybody’s depressed, everybody’s down, everybody’s social distancing. Everybody’s gotta stay in this little combined area. You not around family, you not around nobody. When we came up with “Live in the Moment,” this is something to give people hope again. Give people inspiration, give people a feel-good. Because even when we was stuck, we were still listening to drill music or a certain type of music. It’s harder music. I want to give people a good feeling, a good time. Even if they’re not having a good time you can wake up and say “granny we made it!” It’s giving you hope.
What really started it is once I dropped the song, people would be DMing me: “Bro, I wake up to your song, I go to sleep to your song because I lost my granny last year to Covid.” Or “I lost my granny 5 years ago.” It’s those types of things make people feel like yo, this is inspiration, this is giving me something that I couldn’t have gotten without this song and that’s when it was like nah, this is it. So, then I just started marketing it crazy.
AllHipHop: How much are you investing with the marketing?
MPR Riche Rich: We’re going crazy. In the last 6 months, we put in $50K into the marketing and promotion campaign, along with DJs, different radio people, different interviews, different campaigns. I did something different that really worked. I went with a meme campaign versus a dance campaign on TikTok, that’s what everybody was picking up. Everybody’s like “who is the person behind it?” Once they started seeing the person, they’re like “and he’s interesting? He has horns on his head. He has the look, he has the image. He got a vibe.” That made the traction pick up even more because “oh, this is fire.” The song’s undeniable, then to meet the person behind it, it was perfect timing.
It’s not like I came out of nowhere, I’ve been working for the last 7 years, dedicated to the music. Now, he finally caught one that the world loves. Now he’s pushing it in a way that nobody else is doing, because everybody’s doing it a certain way. They’re all doing it with the dance songs through TikTok. I ain’t gonna do that because it’s saturated. Everybody’s price points is way too high. How do I keep up with a campaign that an industry artist is gonna have, and do it through the memes? Because the memes wasn’t talking. So then you run a meme campaign and boom, next thing you know the songs at 100 million streams later. How did you do that in 6 months? It was because I used a platform that was resourceful, but people wasn’t using it.
That’s what really took it off, it went crazy on TikTok and on Instagram. From there, everybody is singing the song. We’re getting crowds to rock out to the song and we haven’t even performed here before, but they know the song because it’s very hard to not watch a meme. When it’s something funny, something chaotic, something controversial, they’re going to watch it time and time again. You’re making it 17 to 19 seconds long, they’re going to watch it over and over and over and the words are getting stuck in their head. “Granny we made it! We poppin’ bottles, we countin this money.” Its repetitiveness really won.
AllHipHop: Where did you shoot the music video at?
MPR Riche Rich: The music video was crazy, we shot that in Miami. The important part about the music video that a lot of people don’t know is I brought all my family instead of having video vixens or the homies, exotic cars, yachts, and mansions and all this. It was do this shoot in Miami, but bring your family. I flew my grandmother down, my mother, my sisters, my cousins, my wife, my kids. I put the whole family vibe. Usually when you see a Miami shoot, it’s gang in there. It’s all crazy, it’s vixens. Nah, I want this to be a family-oriented song.
MPR Riche Rich: I dropped it January 1st so that everybody’s resolution would be “live in the moment.” That was all marketing coming from my understanding, because I’ve been doing it for so long. I know how to make something break, I just gotta break it in. That’s what really turnt it up. This is it, and it’s been working since then.
AllHipHop: Why haven’t you released since then?
MPR Riche Rich: Because I want to push one song. As an independent artist, you gotta imagine what it takes for a budget. To push a song, you gotta come into it with a certain bag. If I start a new song, now gotta start what I did with this song all over. My idea is hey, just push this one song a year, year and a half, and then come with a new song. I’ve created new music, but I’m not releasing it because then I gotta put a budget behind it to promote and market it — while I’m still trying to get the world to feel this song. To me, there’s nothing next right now because the next thing is the next campaign.
We went from a TikTok campaign to an Instagram campaign to an iTunes campaign to a Youtube campaign to a tour campaign to a club campaign. Just with one song, you can do so many different campaigns it’ll take you 3 years. I have a whole plan for the next 2 years of what plateaus, what people I want to tap in with. I got the plan and I’m executing a plan by tapping into each platform that’s mandatory. One thing a lot of people don’t know about me is I never used the media.
All my stuff was self-driven, it was me and my team talking about me. Now we’re going for the media to talk about us because that’s what the world accepts as “this is how you made it.” But to me, I’m knowing no independent artist is doing what I’m doing because an industry artist aren’t even touching 100 million streams. Industry artists aren’t touching the people who I’ve tapped in with in doing certain things.
We know because we’ve seen it. We’ve watched it for the last 7 years. It was about us making our own standpoint because we’re trying to stay independent. If you don’t do what I do, then you’ve got to sign to a label because you gotta get all of these things from the machine and everything else that makes this stuff work from the label. We all know that everything takes a budget. To do a press run, that’s a budget. To do a marketing campaign, that’s a budget. To do a DJ run, that’s a budget. Everything’s a budget.
As an indie, you gotta pace yourself and that’s what I always did. Let me build a name for myself first, then come when I’ve got the right one and go with it. I’ve seen a lot of people waste money on major press and radio runs, and it wasn’t it. The song wasn’t it. They didn’t solidify if the song was it, and that’s what I did.
I waited until I had the “it” factor, and then I’m introducing myself to all the media and blogs. When everybody finds out about me, they’re like “how didn’t I really know about you, but you’re lit?” But you’re not lit to us, because the media has its own campaign, the marketing has its own campaign, the DJ’\s have their own campaign. I could be lit with the media, but never tapped in with the DJs and they’re like “I don’t know you.” Or I could be lit with the DJs and never tap in with the media and they’re like “I don’t know you.” Everything is a campaign. Just ’cause I’m lit with the hot artists, they can’t help me. They have their own campaign, and the reason they’re lit is because they’re running social media campaigns. They’re running marketing campaigns, press campaigns. It was all about pacing myself and doing it the right way, and not wasting $50K to $100K on something that wasn’t it. That’s why I never really tapped in with everybody.
The first time I tapped in with you was at the video shoot with Blueface and Fatboy, I was there. I’m like “yo, this is dope.” Since then I’ve been following your campaign, I’m like “oh no, she goes crazy.” Iit was one of them things that if I didn’t know, it was because I was never in the right room. But what you do organically is crazy. You know your fanbase and your following, how you move and that’s perfect, because it’s your world and you live within it. You don’t necessarily have to worry about this or that person because you created your own momentum.
Now that you’ve got it, who can stop it? This run that I’m on now is like, give the media the same look that you’ve been giving the world on your own. It’s not too many people that’s coming to you that’s independent with too many followers, high engagement, tapped in with all the celebrities, all the influencers. I know all the influencers and I hang with these guys regularly, but it’s not that they can even help me, it’s how I do it for me, and that’s what I haven’t learned.
AllHipHop: When did you get the horns?
MPR Riche Rich: We’ve been doing the horns since about 2017 or 2018. I’d be off and on with the horns, then I’d do this halo thing. The horns is the goat. Knowing what I was doing, knowing what I was putting on, I’m the greatest of all time. No one could tell me that I’m not if I feel that way. How do I show somebody the goat in real life? They visually see it, and then I speak it? Then it’s a belief. Go with the goat, what would be better than a goat horns? Everybody that sees me: “oh I get it, you’ve got the chin hair like the goat. You’ve got the horns,” and now it makes sense. “Oh, that was crazy marketing.”
Once it gets told and the world sees it, they’re all gonna pick up on it like “yo, this is crazy.” Think about Kodak: when everybody seen him with the hair, the world picked up on it because the blogs picked up on it. The media picked up on it, but you’ve gotta get the media and the blogs to pick up on it so that other people, they’re gonna do it. It’s too fire to not do it. “I’ve never seen nothing like this,” so people are gonna pick up on it.
AllHipHop: What can we expect next? What’re you most excited for?
MPR Riche Rich: The “Live in the Moment” tour. After we do the state-wide tour, we’re going to do a world tour. We’re going to try to take this song and make it as big as something like “Thriller” or a Mariah Carey song that gets played every Christmas. I want it to be one of them songs, but for celebrations. I want every award show, every basketball championship, every football championship, every graduation, it’s this celebration song. I want everybody to eventually use it from video games to movies to anything that anybody’s celebrating, they want to live in the moment at that given time. Anybody can say “Granny we made it” at any given time, because it’s about where you’re at versus where you’re going.
That’s the whole key and concept to it, give these people something that they can go with. Don’t think just live in the moment right now, I’d be lying to say that’s what I’m doing. I live in the moment now, but I have a plan for the future. That’s where it changes the whole dynamics of “is he a one-hit wonder?” You could think that, but I’m going to make you feel that way and then give you more fire. You’re like “Oh, he got us in, and now I’m here.” That’s the whole campaign to it.
