HBO released their official trailer for the upcoming DMX documentary set to premiere on Thanksgiving.
“DMX: Don’t Try To Understand” focuses on a year in the rapper’s life following his year-long stint in prison for tax evasion. The film marks the directorial debut of Christopher Frierson who was driven to explore “the man behind DMX” beyond the standard tabloid portrayal.
Frierson explained to NBC, “I think that people who are fans or people who have maybe not even heard of his music can find things within his story, within his path – dealing with abuse, trauma, addiction, family issues – they can find something that resonates with them because he’s kind of like the everyman rapper.”
One of the scenes in the documentary sees DMX talking to a group of young men on a street corner in Yonkers. One of them cries in front of X, who manages to connect with him. The director said the stranger opened up to him because of the values the New York rapper espoused.
DMX Wasn’t Afraid To Show Emotion
“DMX was one of the first rappers who wasn’t talking about cars and girls, he was talking about pain. He was talking about struggle and on a big platform,” Frierson said. “He wasn’t afraid to cry; that’s part of the human experience.”
He continued, “Sometimes as Black men we put our guards up because there’s so much other external forces that we work against. But it is important to see those reactions, that it is okay. He kind of lit a torch for a lot of kids today in Hip-Hop who are talking about trauma, talking about addiction, talking about pain in the same way.”
Furthermore, Frierson explained people relate to DMX because they relate to his struggles:
“You don’t have to be black or brown or white. You can be everything and you’ll find something in him that you can see in yourself that kind of is hopeful because there is someone out there who’s going along that path.”
Meanwhile, DMX was nominated posthumously for a Grammy for “Best Rap Song” with “Bath Salts,” featuring Nas and JAY-Z.
Check out the trailer for the documentary, available on November 25 below.
Rolling Loud California won’t allow fans under the age of 18 to attend the festival in 2021.
Following the tragedy at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival, Rolling Loud California made the decision to institute an 18+ policy. Organizers announced the age restriction a little over two weeks before the event.
“We welcome everyone to experience our festivals, however, in light of recent events, we will be implementing an 18+ policy specific only to our upcoming 2021 California festival,” Rolling Loud said in a statement. “We will be giving all ticket purchasers who are under the age of 18 the option to either roll their tickets over to next year’s 2022 California festival or receive a refund.”
Organizers added, “Refund or rollover requests must be made through the original purchaser’s Front Gate account during the period beginning November 23rd at 9AM PST and ending November 26th at 12PM PST. Additional information will be made available on our FAQs at rollingloud.com/help.”
Love ya’ll – we want everyone to rage safely. Here’s an important update for all our fans who are under 18 for RL California. pic.twitter.com/9iwjYEmS6p
The age restriction comes after a nine-year-old boy and two teenagers died from injuries suffered at the 2021 Astroworld Festival. In total, 10 people died and hundreds more were injured.
Rolling Loud California is scheduled to take place at the NOS Event Center in San Bernardino. The three-day festival runs from December 10-12.
J. Cole, Future and Kid Cudi have been booked to headline Rolling Loud California. Tickets for the event are sold out.
Cardi B’s medical records will be examined in her ongoing legal battle with vlogger Latasha Kebe a.k.a. Tasha K.
According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, a Georgia judge ordered the Center for Women’s Pelvic Health at UCLA to share a very specific portion of Cardi B’s medical records. The court wants to see information about her herpes and HPV testing.
Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almánzar, sued Tasha K for defamation in 2019. The Atlantic Records artist accused the vlogger of spreading various lies, including one about the “Bodak Yellow” hitmaker having herpes.
The validity of that allegation is under scrutiny after Tasha K demanded Cardi B’s medical records be released to the court.
Cardi B was hoping to use medical records with her aliases, however Tasha K and her lawyer objected, saying there was no way to tell if they were the rap star’s own test.
Judge William M. Ray II obliged, ordering UCLA’s Custodian of Medical Records to hand over any herpes and HPV test-related documentation on Monday (November 22). An in-camera inspection will determine if those test results are admissible as evidence in the trial.
Cardi B’s defamation lawsuit against Tasha K is finally scheduled to head to trial in 2022. A countersuit filed by Tasha K, who claimed the multi-platinum selling rapper ordered her fans to send death threats to the vlogger, has already been dismissed.
The Memphis community held a virtual town hall meeting in response to Young Dolph’s murder.
According to WREG News, more than a hundred people attended the virtual meeting hosted by the NAACP. The town hall aimed to address the violence in the city after Young Dolph was shot and killed earlier this month.
Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner was among those who spoke at the meeting. He stressed the importance of investing tax dollars in poorer areas of Memphis.
“You’re not going to stop the violence without addressing poverty,” Turner said. “We’re not going to stop the violence without addressing mental health, which is a part of poverty and we’re not going to stop the violence without addressing food deserts.”
Tameka Greer, a member of the Memphis Artists for Change organization, also participated in the Young Dolph-inspired meeting. She discussed the importance of helping incarcerated people avoid returning to a life of crime.
“If we don’t get to the heart of that then we’re kind of just spinning our wheels in the same old norm that we’ve been doing,” she said. “Prevention is intervention.”
Police have still not identified the suspects in Young Dolph’s murder. The getaway car has been linked to another shooting as investigators believe there’s a gang-related motive.
The man that robbed rapper and reality star Safaree has finally been convicted of the crime.
The stick-up kid got the Jamaican star for almost $200,000 worth of jewelry and will have to serve time.
According to NorthJersey.com, a Bergen County jury found the man guilty of first-degree robbery, resisting arrest, and several charges of weapons possession.
He was, however, acquitted of other charges that included owning a handgun without a permit.
The prosecution alleged that after they robbed him, the men escaped via the George Washington Bridge.
The prosecution even was able to find a GPS tracking device under his car – where the criminals were able to track how the star moved.
The state worked to prove that the men, one of whom was a childhood friend of Safaree, had been setting him up for weeks.
The prosecution said that the three men, Shawn Harewood, Ashman, and Carl Harry, even watched his social media to see what kind of luxury items that he had.
Safaree recognized Shawn from back in the day and was able to identify him.
Surveillance video showed two of the men (Ashman and Harry), grabbing Safaree and starting to fight him. Ashman then pulled the gun on him.
After they stole his jewelry, they drove off in an Escalade, crashing into a concrete divider at the Henry Hudson Parkway South ramp. This was all captured on the dashcam footage, which was played inside of the court.
Harewood was arrested that night and Ashman a few weeks later, after locating his driver’s license and cellphone at the crash.
Safaree’s wallet and jewelry were also found at the crash site.
Originally, Harewood and Ashman we co-defendants, but the trial was thrown out. Harewood’s new trial is pending.
The 2022 Grammy Awards nominations were unveiled on Tuesday.
Jay-Z made history, surpassing Quincy Jones’ record for the most Grammy nominations ever. The Roc Nation boss was nominated for three awards, setting a new career-high mark at 83.
Hov was previously tied with Jones at 80. Jay-Z received two Best Rap Song nominations for the 2022 Grammys and secured another nomination for his work on Kanye West’s Donda album.
Jay-Z has become the most nominated artist in Grammy history. He had been tied with Quincy Jones for 80 nods, but with this year's ballot, he has a total of 83 nominations. Jay-Z has won 23 Grammys in his career so far. https://t.co/NEBzOFZFaOpic.twitter.com/zmbePC5EzA
Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, Drake, Future, Nas, Megan Thee Stallion and Tyler, the Creator were among the other notable Hip Hop nominees for the 2022 Grammys. J. Cole was the lone artist to be nominated in all four of the rap categories.
Saweetie, Baby Keem and The Kid Laroi landed nominations for Best New Artist. Kanye West, Lil Nas X and Doja Cat were nominated for Album of the Year.
Lil Nas X and Doja Cat also collected nominations for Record and Song of the Year.
View all of the Hip Hop-related Grammy nominees below.
Best Rap Album “The Off-Season,” J. Cole “Certified Lover Boy,” Drake “King’s Disease 2,” Nas “Call Me If You Get Lost,” Tyler, the Creator “Donda,” Kanye West
Best Rap Performance “Family Ties,” Baby Keem, Kendrick Lamar “Up,” Cardi B “My Life,” J. Cole, 21 Savage & Morray “Way Too Sexy,” Drake, Future, Young Thug “Thot S###” Megan Thee Stallion
Best Melodic Rap Performance “Pride is the Devil,” J. Cole, Lil Baby “Need to Know,” Doja Cat “Industry Baby,” Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow “Wusyaname,” Tyler, the Creator, NBA YoungBoy, Ty Dolla $ign “Hurricane,” Kanye West, The Weeknd, Lil Baby
Best Rap Song “Bath Salts,” DMX, Jay-Z, Nas “Best Friend,” Saweetie, Doja Cat “Family Ties,” Baby Keem, Kendrick Lamar “Jail,” Kanye West, Jay-Z “My Life,” J. Cole, 21 Savage & Morray
Record of the Year “I Still Have Faith In You,” ABBA “Freedom,” Jon Batiste “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga “Peaches,” Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon “Right On Time,” Brandi Carlile “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat Featuring SZA “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish “Montero” (Call Me By Your Name), Lil Nas X “drivers license,” Olivia Rodrigo “Leave The Door Open,” Silk Sonic
Song of the Year “Bad Habits,” Ed Sheeran “A Beautiful Noise,” Alicia Keys Featuring Brandi Carlile “drivers license,” Olivia Rodrigo “Fight For You,” H.E.R. “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat Featuring SZA “Leave The Door Open,” Silk Sonic “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X “Peaches,” Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon “Right On Time,” Brandi Carlile
Album of the Year “We Are,” Jon Batiste “Love For Sale,” Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga “Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe),” Justin Bieber “Planet Her (Deluxe),” Doja Cat “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish “Back Of My Mind,” H.E.R. “Montero,” Lil Nas X “Sour,” Olivia Rodrigo “Evermore,” Taylor Swift “Donda,” Kanye West
Best New Artist Arooj Aftab Jimmie Allen Baby Keem FINNEAS Glass Animals Japanese Breakfast The Kid Laroi Arlo Parks Olivia Rodrigo Saweetie
The state of Michigan has produced a number of legendary rappers. Eminem, Royce Da 5’9, Jon Connor, Big Sean, Obie Trice, and The Dayton Family are amongst the legends Rapper Substance810 hopes to add his flows to the names who have put on for the Great Lake State.
The Port Huron native is that perfect blend of lyricism, charisma and authenticity that the game has been missing for years. Substance810 already has a large body of work.
Substance810 started in 2015 with his album Osom (Outta Sight Outta Mind).” The release was followed by *Osom (Outta Sight Outta Mind, (2016), The Definition Of, (2020) and three albums this year: Makin Waves, (2021) The Hanging Gardens, (2021) and his most recent release A Righteous Offering.
AllHipHop: We have a very special guest from the Midwest, my man Substance.
Substance810: Little bro how you doing? Nice to meet you.
AllHipHop: Nice to meet you to man. I’m good man. Shouto my man Grouchy Greg, he put me onto your music and stuff like that so shout out to Grouchy Greg.
Substance810: Yeah. Shout out to Grouchy man no doubt.
AllHipHop: All right. And so you’re from Michigan, can you let me know which part?
Substance810: I’m from Port Huron, Michigan. It’s where 94 East ends on the highway. So it’s the farthest eastern point of Michigan.
AllHipHop: What is it like out there man? Because I think we’re all familiar with Detroit obviously, but what is Port Huron like?
Substance810: It’s the border town to Canada, Sarnia, Ontario. So, it’s just a bridge that separates the two. It’s just a small border town, real small town. You know what I mean? Just a real small town kind of joint. You could go from one side to the other in 30 minutes, if that. It’s really small man.
AllHipHop: What do they listen to out in Port Huron?
Substance810: We was heavily listening to a lot of East Coast rap, and a lot of (Midwest) stuff too. We was listening to Nelly a lot and a lot of East Coast stuff though. Me, personally, all the golden era, Wu-Tang and Dipset stuff a lot, The Lox, a lot in high school.
AllHipHop: So let’s get into your career. When did you start rapping?
Substance810: I started rapping probably about ’98, ’99 somewhere around there.
AllHipHop: So it’s been a steady climb for you?
Substance810: When I started writing verses and stuff like that. The first album I ever put out was like 2006.
AllHipHop: What was the name of album?
Substance810:The Definition Of.
AllHipHop: You’re not from a big town. So what gave you the courage to be like, I’m going to put out an album or put out a body of work?
Substance810: Probably technology, you know what I mean? In 2006 a lot of stuff came about. I just realized how easy it was to get your music distributed to the whole world no matter who you were, or where you were from. So that was a big influence and a big competence booster because you could do a lot man. When the internet started changing, like it did back then. So all we had was MySpace before that.
AllHipHop: I remember MySpace days. So when you first started, because you told me you started in ’98, did you feel that like that no option kind of thing? Like damn how do I get my music heard through to the world? Did you feel that small city kind of thing?
Substance810: Back then I wasn’t even putting nothing out, ’98 I was in ninth grade. So around 10th grade or so I had a creative writing class and I was writing a lot of poetry for that. And around then about ’98, ’99 in creative writing class that’s when I started writing rhymes. I ain’t really put nothing out officially. I was in a group Broader War, my neighborhood group. We was putting out CDs and going to school and selling them, burning CDs at school. But we ain’t putting nothing out on the world, on the internet or nothing like that till around 2006 or whatnot.
I was on the independent label in 2003 as well to. So there was a lot of experiences with touring, shout out to my dude Champtown. He also introduced me to Grouchy too. Nut I was on his label, we was doing a lot of shows, doing a lot of radio shows, and live performances. And it was a lot of experiences with that too. So that was a confidence booster as well when I got on my own, doing my own thing, you know what I mean?
AllHipHop: So let’s fast forward to Makin Waves. That’s the album that won album of the year. So how did that project come about? What was the writing process for Makin Waves?
Substance810: Man, you could find everything on any streaming platform you know what I mean? Shout out to Believe Music and Detroit Digital, my publisher Theo, everything is on all the DSPs. But that album actually I was recording, Makin Waves, I would just record a certain type of song and have a certain vibe and I’d put it on Makin Waves.Makin Waves was just a bar fest type of album. When it’s just a bunch of bars, bunch of hard ass beats, bunch of spitting. That’s pretty much what the concept was on that. It wasn’t concept heavy besides that.
AllHipHop: So “Invisible Lines” you were talking about a situation and as a father. How’s that situation going between you and your daughter at this point?
Substance810: At this point its good finally, you know what I mean. It’s been consistent for several months still being able to get her, but we got to meet at the border and there’s a bunch of hoops we got to go through and papers and letters and proof. And depending who we see is easier sometimes than others, but it’s way better than not seeing her at all. Because at that point, when I made that song, I think I hadn’t seen her for four months straight or something like that. It was a while.
AllHipHop: You took a risk, being vulnerable and so honest in that song, what made you decide this is a song that you had to put out? A lot of people would want to be private about a situation like that.
Substance810: I take my name Substance, literally. I try to be real vulnerable with the music and real transparent with everything. I’m not really against saying too much, you know what I’m saying? I wanted to be real pulverizing and shocking even, you know what I’m saying? Because that’s the s### that touched people the most. I had a even deeper song than that on The Definition Of, it was the last song on the album. Because my daughter’s autistic she can’t speak, I spoke about that on that song. I think I spoke about that on Invisible Lines too actually. I mean it is important to me to touch on everything that’s artistry plus, my name is Substance so I got to have that in the music.
AllHipHop: You charted on iTunes out of this country a few times. How does that happen? How do we go from Port Huron to the world, man? What advice would you give people to get that going?
Substance810: I never really used to focus on the streaming stuff to be honest, early in my career. I was just always pressing up physical CDs and cassette tapes and stuff and selling them. But I never really mess around with the streaming, but I got with my dude with Theo, my publisher and Believe Music had a lot of tools. And it just started working and next thing I knew album by album, things were just building up. I started being able to see the demographic of where people were, how old they were and what they listening to, and all of that just having a better understanding. That would be my advice. Gain a better understanding of where people are listening to your music and why, you know what I mean?
AllHipHop: Who is your demographic?
Substance810: It’s a lot over in Europe to be honest. United States be the first place and then it’d be Russia, Belgium, France, Canada.
AllHipHop: So tell people about your new album A Righteous Offering.
Substance810: It’s called A Righteous Offering. It’s produced by my dude Onaje Jordan, he produced a whole joint. He’s out of Chicago. I’m in Michigan, he’s in Chicago that’s some real Midwest s###. It’s some real dirty Hip-Hop s### too at the same time. It’s a lot of different vibes on it. It’s like 13 joints on it. I usually don’t even do more than 10 or 12 songs.
I just put out one joint, “Grim Predictions” featuring my dude Ethemadassassin, shout out to him. We are also putting out some physical CDs and tapes out and some vinyl later.
AllHipHop: How is the CD game still, the physical game? How is that working these days?
Substance810: That s### is better than ever, bro. To be honest, it’s crazy man because I never thought it’d be like that, but yeah, selling CDs, cassette tapes, the vinyl is probably the best thing. But it’s dope because I collect all three of those things myself. I got a big collection of CDs, tapes and vinyl, you know what I mean? And it’s dope to see it come back like that.
AllHipHop: Are you in the position that you want to be, or are there aspirations or ambitions to do it on a bigger scale? Or do you like your niche that you’ve carved out for yourself?
Substance810: I like how it’s going as far as, I just want to do more shows now that stuff’s opening up. It’s been crazy not being able to perform the last couple years with COVID you know what I mean? It’s been wild. So I’m trying to get back on stages, start performing more over here, but I’m even more focused on performing over in Europe. And touching my fan base over there. I want to go over there and see what’s up. Do some shows over there, touch hands over there.
AllHipHop: Which country do you have the biggest fan base out in Europe?
Substance810: I’d probably say France because that’s where the album went to number 20 or number 28. I can’t remember. It charted out at 200 on the iTunes charts.
AllHipHop: So what I need is your Top 5 Dead or Alive.
Substance810: All right. I’d say Pac, Biggie, Jay, Nas and Big Pun.
AllHipHop: Do you feel like your sound can fit in with what’s going on today?
Substance810: Yeah, no doubt. Shout out to people like Willie the Kid, shout out to my dude Ty Farris. I think that’s the type of Hip-Hop that we doing, that’s going to have more of a spotlight on it. And the next time to come here, as far as the underground Renaissance is concerned. It’s a lot of dope s### going on. Boldy James, Royce da 5’9, Elzhi, 14KT, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson.
AllHipHop: What is the rest of 2021 looking like for Substance?
Substance810: I got probably three to five more joints in the chamber that I’m just working on, little by little. Link with my dude Foul Mouth just yesterday, actually shout out to Foul Mouth and Middle Finger Music, the whole camp over there. We’re going to be cooking up something with my dude, Chuck Chan, he produced “Chess Pieces” that we dropped last year. Got a couple joints coming man, too many to even name. But just continue pushing, putting out the good music on projects, man. I’m going to time them right. So everything gets in, just do music videos to the projects, live performances as everything continues to open up. And that’s really what the plan is, man. Because I’m anxious to actually promote these songs through performance and live show. We’ve been in the crib two years just making gems.
Will Smith let loose after his first relationship came to an end.
The actor details the split in his new memoir “Will,” admitting he went through a promiscuous phase in his early life following the breakup from his first girlfriend, Melanie.
“I desperately need relief,” he recalled. “But as there is no pill for heartbreak, I resorted to the homeopathic remedies of shopping and rampant sexual intercourse.
“Up until this point in my life, I had only had sex with one woman other than Melanie. But over the next few months, I went full ghetto hyena.”
Will Smith was just 16 when he fell in love with Melanie, but the romance ended when he discovered she had been unfaithful to him while he was out on a two-week tour.
Although the pair reconciled, they could never move on from her infidelity.
While sleeping around was immediate relief for Will, who is married to actress Jada Pinkett Smith, it had lasting consequences: “I had sex with so many women, and it was so constitutionally disagreeable to the core of my being, that I developed a psychosomatic reaction to having an orgasm.
“It would literally make me gag and sometimes even vomit. In every case, though, I hoped to God this beautiful stranger would be ‘the one’ who would love me, who would make this pain go away.
“But invariably, there I was, retching and wretched. And the look in the eyes of the woman even further deepened my agony.”
Shawn Khares’s new song, “Get Down,” was just published. The song has amassed a sizable following since its debut. It became viral within a few days after it was published. The song’s catchiness, along with Shawn’s incredible musical invention, has resulted in a masterpiece.
Although Shawn is new to the music industry, he has a wealth of expertise. He’s released three songs so far this year. You can sense the depth of emotion Shawn has tried to inculcate in kids when you listen to them. The song “Get Down” is a good example of this. It’s a beautiful song that will appeal to people of all ages.
Shawn poured his heart and everything into the creation of this song. He enlisted Rumor Records’ assistance, who had opted to polish the song on their own. As a result, when the song was ultimately published, it quickly became a fan favorite. Rumor Records owes us a huge debt of gratitude for putting out such a terrific song.
Recently, Bun B and wife, Angela “Queenie” Walls rocked the ‘Gram and shocked the world. Through, his verified Instagram account, the legendary lyricist uploaded a provocative video. This sent his peers and his supporters reeling. The penetrating news, just a surprise pregnancy announcement!
Since the early ‘90’s, Bun B’s actions have helped to ameliorate Hip-Hop’s trajectory. In addition to being a Hip-Hop icon, the Southern spitter refines what’s necessary to help balance his time as a husband, as a father, as an entrepreneur and as an educator.
For the couple, 2021 has been an exciting year. This year marks the 25th anniversary of UGK’s classic release, Ridin’ Dirty. Back in 1996, in addition, to Bun B effectively enhancing Hip-Hop’s lexicon, the “Diamonds & Wood” wordsmith would go on to meet his future wife. Although, it was a challenging feat, it was definitely worth it. Since then, the two have been practically inseparable.
The “You’re Everything” MC dishes on how Ridin’ Dirty helped him to meet the romantic love of his life. “I met my wife Queenie in the summer of ’96. I’d just gotten the mastered version of my album Ridin’ Dirty and asked my friend Eddie to set up a small get-together at his place.”
Completely smitten, Bun continues by adding, “When she walked in I knew she was the one for me. Making her realize I was the one for her, though, wasn’t so easy. She was a single mother with two kids from a previous relationship with a severe case of social anxiety, so being involved with a public figure was not what she was looking for. Over time I was able to convince her otherwise and we’ve been together ever since,” this as told to Level.
So, fast forward to the present. These parents who have been blessed to become grandparents and are seemingly prepared to do it all again. Everyone from Trae to T.I. have chimed in with well-wishes.
Astroworld Festival security guards Samuel and Jackson Bush have added their names to the hundreds of people suing rapper Travis Scott following the concert tragedy at the beginning of the month.
They claim that what they witnessed during the chaos at the festival in Houston, Texas has left them scarred for life.
The brothers, who were hired by AJ Melino and Associates to work at the festival, admit they were not trained for what went down after thousands of fans gatecrashed the event, leaving security staff overwhelmed.
Both claim mental and physical injuries, while Jackson reveals he witnessed CPR being performed on lifeless bodies.
In the lawsuit, the siblings are asking for more than $1 million in damages. The Bush brothers have named Live Nation, AJ Melino, and Cactus Jack Records among the defendants.
Polo G recently sparked online debate when he declared his hometown of Chicago has the best rappers. While Polo claimed Chitown supremacy, one Atlanta resident suggested his city will remain the centerpiece of Hip Hop for a long time.
Young Thug and Gunna were part of a Revolt Summit panel on November 13 in Atlanta. The Gathering Spot CEO Ryan Wilson led the discussion which included a question about where Atlanta was heading in the Hip Hop space over the next five to ten years.
“Where New York always been,” Young Thug told Ryan Wilson. The YSL label leader referenced New York City which is the original home of Hip Hop. NYC is widely considered the Mecca of the culture.
Thug added, “I don’t see no other city taking over Atlanta because we steady having new artists come from Atlanta and we’re getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And the biggest artists that’s popping right now are from Atlanta. We gonna keep going higher and higher. I don’t see no other city gaining the #1 spot again. We got it.”
ATL Rappers Have Found Success In Hip Hop For Four Decades
Atlanta produced turn-of-the-millennium-era rap legends like OutKast, Goodie Mob, T.I., Ludacris, Jeezy, and Gucci Mane. The last ten years also saw the rise of Young Thug, Gunna, Future, Migos, 2 Chainz, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, JID, EarthGang, Lil Yachty, 6LACK, Playboi Carti, Latto, Lil Keed, and others.
Even though Young Thug is only 30 years old, he is still already considered a Hip Hop veteran. Thugger broke out as a recording artist thanks to projects such as 2015’s Barter 6 and 2015’s Slime Season.
Smack White, whose name is an acronym for Streets, Music, Arts, Culture, and Knowledge, is the essence of Hip-Hop.
He took the hustle of Ralph McDaniels and created SMACK DVDs in the 2000s. He later helped develop battle emceeing into an organized sport, by combining what used to be confined to a corner in the hood, a cipher of emcees, and some hustlers betting money on a winner, into a systemized contest where emcees are paid a purse like boxers.
His @URLtv is the largest English-speaking battle league in the world. His multi-million dollar streaming deal with Drake and Caffeine, the URLtv App, the media outlets that thrive because of him, and the various ancillary business birthed out of his hustle (other leagues included) have moved battle rap into a billion-dollar business.
On November 23, 1983, the iconic and arguably first-ever Hip Hop movie, “Wild Style,” arrived at New York’s Embassy 3.
Under the direction of Charlie Ahearn, the director and filmmaker, all of the elements of Hip Hop culture were represented in the film with appearances from some of the most prolific emcees, DJs, breakers, and graffiti artists, including trailblazers like The Cold Crush Brothers, Rock Steady Crew, and Grandmaster Flash 🔥
Fans of Rihanna have been patiently waiting for the Bajan singer to release her ninth studio album for five years. While The Navy has not gotten a new project, they have apparently continued to press the play button on Rihanna’s music videos in the meantime.
According to Chart Data, Rihanna now holds the record for most videos by a female artist with at least 1 billion views on YouTube. Riri’s “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris crossed the 10-figure mark this week.
“We Found Love” originally came out in 2011. The Dance Pop single topped Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart for ten non-consecutive weeks, and the song led multiple charts around the world.
.@rihanna becomes the female artist with the most videos with over 1 billion views each on YouTube (7).
Rihanna and Calvin Harris have another music video together that is part of the 1-billion-view club. Harris’s “This Is What You Came For” featuring Rihanna currently has 2.5 billion YouTube views.
In addition, Eminem’s “Love The Way You Lie” with Rihanna racked up 2.3 billion plays so far. Rihanna’s solo song “Diamonds” amassed 1.8 billion views on YouTube since its release in 2012.
The rest of Rihanna’s billion-viewed videos list includes “Work” featuring Drake (1.2B), Shakira’s “Can’t Remember to Forget You” (1.1B), and DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts” featuring Bryson Tiller (1B). 2013’s “Stay” with Mikky Ekko is 8 million views away from 1 billion.
Is there a link between Wendy Williams’ absence and an array of health concerns?
Wendy Williams is a polarizing personality. This controversial media juggernaut continues to challenge and to help Hip-Hop evolve. Going from nocturnal shock-jock to daytime television’s center stage, Wendy Williams, is an entire experience. Recently, the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, reports that Wendy Williams is supposedly, “confined to a wheelchair and suffering from dementia.”
The exclusive report which surfaces from Antoine Edwards, via, @ToineTheDon gives further insight into Wendy’s supposed woes. The Dallas-based news personality suggests, “Wendy continues to be under medical supervision and meets with her medical team on a daily basis.”
In addition, more details illuminate her seemingly dire health conditions. “She is making progress but is experiencing serious complications as a direct result of Graves’ disease and her thyroid condition,” so says the Instagram account for the show’s production agency.
Given the fact, that The Wendy Williams show has encountered an indefinite hiatus, these breaking details and both informative and concerning. Her purple chair has been empty for far too long. Earlier this year, the Wendy Show’s verified Instagram account delivered a candid account into Wendy’s well-being.
It states, “As everyone knows my health has been a hot topic. I’m making progress but it’s just one of those things that are taking longer than we expected.”
R&B vocalist Summer Walker is riding high as Still Over It became a chart-topping album. She is also in a new relationship with LVRD Pharoh that has recently made blog headlines.
Summer Walker and LVRD Pharoh’s most recent actions once again garnered significant media attention. The award-winning musician and the self-described stylist decided to tattoo each other’s names on their faces.
Overnight, Summer Walker posted a 14-second clip on Instagram that featured her and LVRD Pharoh showing off their respective tats. The “No Love” performer captioned the video, “🖤Bestfriend.”
Prior to her latest connection with LVRD Pharoh, Summer Walker broke up with Atlanta-based producer London on da Track. Many of the songs on Still Over It are believed to be about the controversies surrounding that failed relationship.
London on da Track and Summer Walker have one child together. Walker revealed her baby bump in November 2020, and she gave birth to her only daughter in May of this year.
Iman Shumpert won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, but he gained even more mainstream notoriety for his appearance on Dancing With The Stars. Clips of Shumpert’s performances regularly went viral on social media.
The Dancing With The Stars season 30 finale took place on Monday night. Iman Shumpert, and his partner Daniella Karagach, won the latest installment of the ABC dance competition series.
By winning The Mirrorball Trophy, Iman Shumpert became the first ex-NBA player to earn the DWTS championship. Shumpert and Karagach outlasted JoJo Siwa and her partner Jenna Johnson.
Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach dance Freestyle to “Lose Control / Bounce” by Missy Elliott ft. Ciara & Fat Man Scoop / DJ Clent on the Dancing with the Stars Finale! pic.twitter.com/hv5L3r3di6
Iman Shumpert’s wife, R&B singer Teyana Taylor, celebrated her husband’s historic Dancing With The Stars victory. Taylor posted on Instagram:
HE LEVEL OF PROUD I AM IS TEWWWWWW MUCH TO EVEN PUT IN WORDS!!! WOW 🥺🥺🥺 congrats @imanshumpert @dannypwinsiellakaragach i am proud but NOT shocked!!!! YALL GOT THAT! AS YOU SHOULD! WELL DESERVED!! Thank you for trusting one another, believing in one another, killing that s### every week & most importantly foot working that m#### f###### mirror ball home!!!!!! PERIOD! Congrats guys!!! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 thank you @dancingabc & all the fans and friends that VOTEDDDDDDD
@teyanataylor Instagram
Besides finding success on ABC’s reality competition show, Iman Shumpert has also shown off talents as a recording artist. His discography includes the 2018 Hip Hop studio LP titled Substance Abuse and the 2020 DJ Drama-hosted Joyride mixtape.
Then rumors recently began circulating that Wendy Williams is also suffering from the effects of early-onset dementia. The 57-year-old media personality was also said to be confined to a wheelchair.
Wendy’s brother, Thomas Williams, spoke to The Sun about his sister’s condition. The former radio deejay’s younger brother denied accusations concerning the neurology disease.
“We haven’t had any alerts like that and I haven’t seen anything like that or have had conversations with her that would lead me to believe that,” said Thomas Williams. He added, “We routinely go up and check on Wendy even though we’re all down here in Florida.”
Wendy Williams has yet to return to The Wendy Williams Show for its latest season. Multiple guest hosts, including Hip Hop stars Fat Joe and Remy Ma, were hired to fill in for the New Jersey native as the leader of the show.
“Wendy is a valued and stalwart member of the Debmar-Mercury family and has been so for 12 years. We want her health to be her top priority. As soon as she’s ready, she will be back in her treasured purple chair,” read an Instagram statement in October from The Wendy Williams Show.
During a recent interview, Lil Meech revealed that he had no memories of what his father and the rest of the “Black Mafia Family” were up to during his childhood. However, playing his dad on the show allowed him to understand what it was like for him during his 1980s heyday.
“I felt like the whole thing was a learning experience just because I got to be him in his childhood,” Lil Meech shared with HipHopDX. “I had no idea how he grew up. None of us, unless you were there, knew how Detroit was in 1980s so it was very different for me and my life, because I was born in 2000. I went to private school so I had to put myself in his shoes and think about the problems and the obstacles he faced. It was much different, but it was fun. I got to talk to him and figure out different things that I never knew so it was just a total learning experience. “
Lil Meech Says His Father “Had To Be Smart As Hell”
Additionally, Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr. revealed how impressed he was by his father’s ability to survive in Detroit in the 1980s.
“It was a lot … like how he handled things,” Meech said. “There were a lot of things I was thinking about like damn, he had to be smart as hell to do all of that at such a young age. You’d have to be wise to do what he did at that young of an age and still be alive. It was a lot of problems and obstacles back then just being there in Detroit, in the murder capital of the world … just living out there was terrible. I got to learn a lot of different things about him that I never knew, and I actually got to go to Detroit and spend time where he grew up at.”
Big Meech “Was A Cool Dad”
Lil Meech said growing up, Meech Sr. “was a cool dad” but he was oblivious to the criminal enterprise surrounding his family.
According to Lil Meech, “I was way too young to understand, but I just knew I had a lot of stuff, I didn’t understand what money really was. I was too young, you know, but I knew who my dad was.” He added, “I just knew I had a cool, fun dad that had a lot of cars and a lot of houses and we would just go a lot of places. I had no idea what he was doing.”
T-Pain and Usher have ended their auto-tune beef reconciling during a celebration of Dave Chappelle’s forthcoming documentary.
On Sunday, T-Pain invited Usher to join him on stage at an afterparty event in Atlanta where he took steps to end their feud.
“I love you, bro,” T-Pain told Usher. “I’m telling you, we ain’t going through nothing, bro. We ain’t going through a g###### thing. It’s all love. In a time when we’re divided the most, we need to be together the most. I love you, bro. I’m never not gonna love you, bro, trust me.”
“Usher was my friend. I really respect Usher. And he said, ‘I’m gonna tell you something, man. You kinda f##### up music,’” T-Pain revealed during an episode of Netflix’s “This Is Pop.”
T-Pain continued, “He was like, ‘Yeah man you really f##### up music for real singers,’” he added. “I was like, ‘What did I do? I came out and I used auto-tune?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, you f##### it up.’ I’m like, ‘But I used it, I didn’t tell everybody else to start using it.’”
Usher then revealed he had spoken to T-Pain and according to him, the two had peaced it up.
He told Billboard: “I’m happy that T-Pain said something. I’m not sure if it was before or after our actual conversation after I heard what was said. It was very hurtful to know that he had experienced that kind of hardship in life. I wouldn’t wish that on any person. Private conversations for me have always been intended to uplift. But when or if people get pieces of it, they can always have some other interpretation. But we’ve spoken since and we’re good.”
However, the Florida native disputed Usher’s claims. He told Angie Martinez that though he reached out to Usher, he “never heard from him.”
Fortunately, the pair seem to have moved on – perhaps they might consider making music together. Though, maybe without the auto-tune if they want to stay on good terms!
