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Damson Idris Reacts To ‘Snowfall’ Being Snubbed At The 2021 Emmy Awards

Nominations for the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards were announced on July 13. The FX network’s Snowfall starring Damson Idris was shut out by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Some fans of Snowfall were upset that the Television Academy completely snubbed the crime drama. Damson Idris expressed his reaction to season four of his show not receiving any Emmy nods this year.

“We were not nominated for anything this year. But God bless all the amazing supporters of #SnowfallFX We love and do it for you. See you soon. 👊🏾,” tweeted Damson Idris. That tweet amassed more than 6,000 likes on the social media platform.

https://twitter.com/DamsonIdris/status/1415084711676944385?s=20

The 29-year-old British actor plays Los Angeles-based drug dealer Franklin Saint on Snowfall. Michael Hyatt, Amin Joseph, Carter Hudson, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, DeRay Davis, and Melvin Gregg are also part of the cast.

Late filmmaker John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood, Baby Boy), Eric Amadio, and Dave Andron are credited as Snowfall‘s creators. Carl H. Seaton, Jr. picked up an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series in 2020.

Damson Idris was nominated twice for Outstanding Actor, Drama Series (2019, 2021) at the Black Reel Awards for Television. He lost to Pose star Billy Porter in 2019. The winners of the 2021 BRAs will be revealed on Sunday, August 15.

This year’s Emmy nominees for Outstanding Drama Series are The Boys (Prime Video), Bridgerton (Netflix), The Crown (Netflix), The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu), Lovecraft Country (HBO), The Mandalorian (Disney+), Pose (FX), and This Is Us (NBC).

The 2021 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy Award will be presented to either Sterling K. Brown for This Is Us (NBC), Jonathan Majors for Lovecraft Country (HBO), Josh O’Connor for The Crown (Netflix), Regé-Jean Page for Bridgerton (Netflix), Billy Porter for Pose (FX), or Matthew Rhys for Perry Mason (HBO).

50 Cent Embraces Being A Mentor For DaBaby

Jonathan “DaBaby” Kirk has been caught up in several controversies throughout his career. Just this week, the North Carolina native was dragged online for only giving $4 to a group of teens selling candy, but he explained his reasoning for his actions that day.

Enter Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. Apparently, the G-Unit founder is stepping up to offer DaBaby advice on how to maneuver in the music industry, and the Blame It on Baby album creator seems willing to accept that counseling. DaBaby posted a photograph of the two rappers on Instagram.

“Somebody I been studying for a MINUTE [lent] me a few hours of his time today. N##### so scared to let me in the room they f##### around & let me end up in the room w/ @50cent 🤦🏾‍♂️ BIG MISTAKE! Beyond grateful for the game📚
Couldn’t have come from a better source.💯Now watch me put this s### to use👀 #BackToWork,” wrote DaBaby on IG.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRSfpO_rMSJ/

50 Cent then hopped in DaBaby’s comment section to share his thoughts about the affiliation. The Power Book III: Raising Kanan executive producer also mentioned how he was unable to provide useful guidance to Brooklyn rapper Pop Smoke before he was killed in February 2020.

“I lost Pop before he could get it. This one already got it and he [listens]. I’m a teach him all the mistakes I made, so he can be better than me. THIS IS HIP HOP!” commented 50 Cent on Instagram about DaBaby.

Back in the early 2000s, 50 Cent led the G-Unit crew of Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and The Game to international stardom. In recent years, the Queens-bred businessman has collaborated with other artists such as Pop Smoke, Roddy Ricch, NLE Choppa, and 6ix9ine.

DaBaby broke into the mainstream in 2019 with “Suge” off the Baby on Baby project. He went on to release the studio LPs Kirk in 2019 and Blame It on Baby in 2020. The 29-year-old southerner is featured on Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” single which is currently the #3 song on the Hot 100 chart.

Hazel E Tries To Shade Cardi B in Princessgate

The internet goes crazy after Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood ex-cast member, Hazel E declares that she is the first female rapper to have a princess-themed birthday party for her daughter.

In her Instagram story she throws shade at Cardi B.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🇭 🇦 🇿 🇪 🇱 -🇪 (@hazelebaby)

Her captions were “The girls are fans!,”  “Ion care AvA had the most epic pull up to a 1st Birthday Party, Periodt. Real life Princess. From …”  and “It’s the originality for me.”

“It was only 3 weeks ago damn! And all my princess were black.”

“Down to the [Poodle Emoji]”

“I DIDN’T EVEN SAY NO NAMES MUST BE THE SAME”

“I WAS THE FIRST RAPPER TO DO IT IN MY @souljaboy voice.”

Oh, Twitter went off.

“Hazel E is buggin”

“Hazel E said Cardi B is her fan cause she did a princess party first….. y’all claim the stupidest s###”

“nah Hazel E is actually delusional lol theres no way this girl is serious…”

https://twitter.com/chelseykassa/status/1415176582927421444?s=20

“The fact that she has more than Hazel E”

“Not Hazel E thinking she’s the only person with a princess”

“It’s Hazel E tripping over a princess party.. Like b#tch?”

“I feel that @iamcardib response to Hazel E may have @IamTabithaBrown energy with a sprinkle of her seasoning that sold out in 39 mins but then again.. DONT COME  FOR  HER  KIDS”

Hey Hazel, did Cardi steal this idea too?

“Cardi gifted Kulture a custom iced out Elliante charm necklace.”

Check out Kulture’s party and see if you think that the Bronx beauty bite off her idea.

“Cardi really went all out for Kulture’s princess themed birthday party”

Victoria’s Secret Releases Statement Distancing them From the Karen, the Cops, & the Chaos of the Short Hills Mall Meltdown

Victoria’s Secret releases a statement after Abigail Elphick went bonkers on a Black woman in one of their New Jersey franchise stores.

The lingerie brand released the response via Twitter leading with the following:

“Associate and Customer safety is our top priority, and we are committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

It further reads, “The video taken in our store is unsettling and we have initiated a full investigation. Our associates followed our protocols and immediately called our Emergency Operations Center as well as mall security for support during the altercation between our customers.”

“We are dedicated to continuing this critical conversation and demonstrating our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through our actions and our words.”

Over the weekend, Elphick went full-fledged Karen when a Black woman named Ijeoma Ukenta started to videotape in the Victoria’s Secret store. Deliriously, the white woman screamed and screeched, declaring that she was being harassed, however, a 14-minute video suggests differently.

Ukenta, a Nigerian-American, has filed complaints against the law enforcement and mall security. She may possibly be gearing up for legal fight about Elphick and the Millburn PD. She started a GoFundMe to offset her legal fees.

The crowdfunding page is set up to help Ukenta find an attorney. Her goal was $20,000 and by the time of publishing, she had already reached $69,000.

Yung Mal, Protege Of Gucci Mane, Charged In Murder

Yung Mal, an up-and-coming East Atlanta rapper, was arrested on a murder charge yesterday (July 12) and the cops have also snatched up five of his homies.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the six suspects range from 19 to 46 years of age.

Yung Mal, who is closely associated with Gucci Mane, is signed to Alamo Records/Sony Music Entertainment.

He claims that he had nothing to do with this alleged shooting.

Stating that during the night of the gunplay, he and his squad were booked to perform in Mississippi at the Echo Stage Soul Kitchen & Lounge.

The owner of the club did confirm the performance but could not provide a time period to support his alibi.

He did say that the performance started around 12:30 AM.

The shooting happened four hours earlier DeKalb County at a Chevron gas station, on the corner of Candler and Kelly Lake roads.

The man shot was in his 40s and died after being taken to the hospital.

DeKalb County Police spokesperson Michaela Vincent believes that he can fill in the holes of the various stories, which allowed him to identify Yung Mal and his five-member entourage as suspects.

He believes that the rapper and the older man were arguing before the shooting, that took his life, transpired.

The names of all six men arrested are as follows: De’Vonti King (19), Darreun Dodson (20), Jamal Braud (25), Bryan Jones (26), Deavin Baker (31), and Thavian Ford (46) are currently all in custody.

Hip-Hop Goddess Sa-Roc Explains Her Journey, From Rhymesayers To Bars With Black Thought

Washington D.C.-born rhymes goddess Sa-Roc is an anomaly, a proverbial one of one in a vastly overcrowded Hip-Hop scene. Hardly a rookie, she has been expanding her dominion on the culture as one that speaks truth, perspective with a force that has not been seen for quite some time. Signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment, she’s one of the few that can and does go bar-for-bar with Black Thought, the goat emeritus. Sa-Roc talks her new re-release album The Sharecropper’s Daughter [Deluxe Edition], which contains six new songs. These songs include MF DOOM, Sol Messiah and Evidence, evoking Octavia Butler, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and other sheroes.

Check out this conversation with Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur as the pair discuss her evolution, climb to prominence and even how she got to consider Black Thought a friend and mentor.

Sa-Roc Says There Doesn’t Need To Be One Queen In Hip-Hop

Hotboii Arrested By Feds Over Deadly Feud With 9lokkNine

Rap star Hotboii was finally arrested after an ongoing investigation allegedly linked him to the Orlando 438 gang.

Records show that Hotboii was locked up on Thursday, July 8, and processed under his legal name, Javarri Latre Walker.

As reported by AllHipHop.com, the gang has been under surveillance by authorities under a discovery campaign called, “Operation X-Force.”

OXF discovered that 438 is in conflict with another rival squad called the Army Gang — a feud so deadly that a number of teenagers have been killed.

There have been four murders connected to this banging beef.

It is assumed that those individuals were not gang-related.

Tayyiah King, a 16-year-old relative to the Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hall, has been a high-profile killing that seems to be helping justice move a little swifter.

Orange County Sheriff John Mina shared with the press earlier this month, “The ongoing feud that has been going back and forth between these gangs has been responsible for over 30 shootings and several homicides in a number of our jurisdictions.”

Hotboii is looking at some serious RICO (racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering) charges.

Cash Money rapper 9lokkNine and the 24 others have been arrested and is believed to be the leader of Mercy Drive “Army Gang.”

VIDEO: DMX Honored With Brand New Inspirational Mural

The Yonkers projects that DMX used to live in remembers the fallen soldier with a beautiful mural.

Back in the day, the multi-platinum selling rapper lived in Calcagno Homes, a housing projects in the West Chester County city and so if anyone knew how to honor him — his people did.

The painting was done by Floyd Simmons, a visual artist that also goes by the name of 90 Degrees.

He was commissioned to create the tribute a few weeks ago by The Municipal Housing Authority commissioned Yonkers Arts.

X’s fiancée Desiree Lindstrom attended the unveiling and said that she loved it.

“I love it. I was amazed. It looks completely like him to me. I feel like it will uplift so many people, from School Street all around the world,” she shared with reporters.

Also on hand was his Def Jam family, the record label that put the growling emcee on the map, and members of the Ruff Ryders team, the organization that he helped establish a degree of dominance in Hip-Hop in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Tragically, the world lost DMX, whose birth name is Earl Simmons, earlier this year.

After suffering a heart attack and a week-long coma, he was declared dead by his doctors.

Reports have since proved that he was brain-dead days before the formal statement was declared to the public.

Jada Pinkett Smith Debuts A New Look With Bald Head

Jada Pinkett Smith has shaved her head.

The 49-year-old actress revealed that she decided to cut off all her hair after her daughter Willow encouraged her because it was “time to let go.”

Willow first posted the picture on her Instagram page and wrote: “a gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return.”

Jada then shared the picture on her own Instagram with the caption: “Willow made me do it because it was time to let go BUT … my 50’s are bout to be Divinely lit with this shed.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ∴ W ∴ (@willowsmith)

Jada Pinkett Smith will be turning 50 this September. And her celebrity fans were quick to share their compliments on the new look.

Beyonce’s mother Tina Lawson wrote: “Beautiful. It Just shows that beautiful face and soulful eyes more prominently,” Gabrielle Union shared a number of flame and heart emojis and Lena Waithe commented “Perfection”.

Willow added: “You are DIVINE.”

D. Weathers Drops His “Chinese Spot” Remix

The Prince of Poughkeepsie himself D. Weathers has linked up with some of Harlem’s heavy hitters, Dave East and Vado for the remix of his bubbling street record Chinese Spot. Weathers not only holds his own on bar for bar with East and V, but his verse taps into an emotion that those who take on the commitment to “do the bid” with a loved one who may be incarcerated can deeply relate to.

East then pops off his verse with a unique flow and yet again displaying his ability to give us that true essence of hip hop feel. “HLR or what he would like to call “High Level Rap”. To close out the record we hear Vado’s slick talking bars, float over the Half produced instrumental, sounding completely in pocket as if he was an instrument himself. Poughkeepsie you must definitely have one. New York as a whole, I believe we got one. 

A Soul Hop Songstress From Kentucky Debuts With “Coconut Sugar”

Enter the debut video/single from Kentucky-born songstress Anonimuss Rose entitled “Coconut Sugar”. This song came from a very beautiful place that many people seek but seldom find. Knowing the root to your problems takes you a long way in finding the solution.  Anonimuss describes it as a process to really let go. Dedicated to every young woman that needs to hear ‘you got this’.


Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/track/1NObM2eakFSDXMWMHlNGXx?si=b53fea148fc542d0
Apple – https://music.apple.com/album/coconut-sugar/1550472324?i=1550472326
Instagram –
https://instagram.com/anonimuss_rose?utm_medium=copy_link

Diddy Aggressively Defends Black UK Soccer Players

Sean “Diddy” Combs has slammed those who racially abused England soccer players after they lost the Euro 2020 final.

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were targeted on their social media accounts after they missed in the penalty shootout against Italy on Sunday and the “I’ll Be Missing You” hitmaker hailed the trio as inspirational as he took aim at their abusers.

Alongside a photo of the soccer stars, Diddy wrote on the social media platform: “We stand with you Kings. Proud of all your efforts on and off the field and we will always support you. Continue to inspire. Love And to the racists… F### YOU!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRPUYSiLFH7/

The post by Diddy was praised by other celebrities, including Naomi Campbell, who left a heart emoji in the comments, and former England captain David Beckham.

The retired soccer player commented: “Proud of our boys @diddy inspiration to our country and to all the young kids they continue to inspire.”

Lena Headey also shared her support for the players, writing on her Instagram account: “Kings be kings be kings. Beautifully played. Thank you @marcusrashford @sanchooo10 @bukayosaka87 @sterling7 @england.”

Prince William had earlier slammed the “abhorrent behavior” of those who had bombarded the sportsmen, saying the abuse left him “sickened.”

England manager Gareth Southgate also blasted the “unacceptable” comments, while Rashford took to Twitter to apologize missing the penalty, but insisted he will “never apologize for who (he) is or where (he) came from.”

“I’ve grown into a sport where I expected to read things written about myself,” he wrote. “Whether it be the color of my skin, where I grew up, or, most recently, how I decide to spend my time off the pitch.

“I can take critique of my performance all day long, my penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in but I will never apologize for who I am and where I came from. I’ve felt no prouder moment than wearing those three lions on my chest and seeing my family cheer me on in a crowd of 10s of thousands.”

He concluded by writing: “I’m Marcus Rashford, 23-year-old black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else I have that. For all the kind messages thank you. I’ll be back stronger. We’ll be back stronger.”

Rocco Creates Music For “People To Feel”

At only 18 years old, Rocco is already being recognized by the greats.

Hailing from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, the singer, songwriter, producer, and rapper arrives on the scene with his distinct melodic sound, with the ability to switch between spitting bars and harmonize vocals while speaking his truth.

Rocco describes himself as “a normal ass kid who happened to be involved with music and fell in love with it. Producer, engineer, artist, guitar player, all-around type of artist, somebody who makes music for people to feel.”

Following the success of his breakout song titled “Honest,” which initially went viral on TikTok before climbing in numbers across all streaming platforms, Rocco shows no plans of slowing down.

Most recently, Rocco unleashed his new single for “Times Changed,” pairing it with a fire black-and-white visual to match.

He spits, “I swear I worked my ass off just to get to where I’m at. I need my pockets on fat, eliminate all distractions. I’m taking action tonight.”

AllHipHop: How would you describe your sound?

Rocco: My sound is pop and melodic hook-sounding, with gritty hip-hop rap verses. It’s a nice in between, hip-hop and pop infused.

AllHipHop: What was that like growing up in Coatesville, PA?

Rocco: There’s two small towns where I’m from. Coatesville and Downingtown, they’re connected by a highway. Growing up on the east side of PA, they’re the most urban towns you can think of. Packed, 24 hour traffic to the tee. Growing up it’s like any other normal spot: a lot of people, not a lot of opportunity. You get lost in the sauce easily, that’s why it’s hard to get out. Even from Philadelphia, it’s hard to branch out because there’s no outlet. It’s two small towns, but very highly populated.

AllHipHop: Biggest influences coming up?

Rocco: Lil Wayne for sure. For me, it was the Carter 4. That whole album. The way his bars are so clever, you hear it and you’re like “g######!” He took it to another level, it’s absolutely crazy.

AllHipHop: When did you realize that you could do music for a living?

Rocco: I don’t know if I knew it at the time but when I was 14, I thought the world revolved around me. My narracassim got the best of me, I thought I was the illest thing in the world. That’s me, I guess a lot of artists feel that way. I used to literally sell out shows in my garage back in PA. 60 to 70 people packed in my hometown, just because we could. Usually all females too, which is the crazy part.

AllHipHop: Talk about producing and engineering yourself, as well as your musicianship.

Rocco: I learned how to produce about a year ago. I’ve been playing guitar for 2 years now. I studied music theory for a good year and a half. Didn’t go to school for it, I was really in love with how everything is connected. The music, everything’s connected with letters and chords. Once I became obsessed with that, I learned engineering by myself after doing it for so long, 3 or 4 years. I used to engineer people back home and I got really good at it. It turned out to work for the better because I was my own boss, I could do whatever I wanted because I could produce, engineer, and play the guitar. Everything’s worked out in my benefit from learning those things. I encourage a lot of other artists to take the time to figure everything out, so you can have those weapons in your arsenal.

AllHipHop: How’d you get your name?

Rocco: My last name is Dirocco, so I just shortened it up. Nice short and sweet. Right when we heard it, we’re like “yeah.”

AllHipHop: How’d it feel to have “Honest” go viral on TikTok?

Rocco: That was the craziest feeling in the world. I’ll never forget it, I was sitting in my living room back home in Philly. I threw a snippet up, I didn’t think anything of it. It was my first TikTok, my first one. I threw it on there, put the lyrics, said “alright whatever” and went to sleep. I didn’t check it, I posted it and went to sleep. When I woke up, it had 300K views. Blue checks.

AllHipHop: Was it a dance video?

Rocco: It’s me in front of the studio speakers, singing the song. I had a camera man panning. That’s all it was, nothing special and it went viral. It has 1.5 million views right now. It kickstarted everything we’ve been doing for the last 6 months, off of one TikTok video. TikTok’s crazy, it actually is absurd.

AllHipHop: What were you going through recording “Times Changed”?

Rocco: There was a certain point we’re living at our old house in LA. I was staying there, sleeping on the couch and recording every single day. I got into this mode where everything’s flowing effortlessly. “Times Changed” was one of 3 records, I put “Lie to Me” out the same day I put out “Times Changed.” I put out those 3 records, they were all smashes. Once you tap into that mode, you can’t stop. Making “Times Changed,” I heard the beat, it was one of those “Let me talk my s### on this record.” I was doing so many love things, I said “let me take a step away from that and talk my s###.”

AllHipHop: Where do you usually record at?

Rocco: I record at the house most of the time. I like recording myself, I don’t really like going to studios because of the vibe. If you like how you sound, why spend money if it’s not gonna sound the same? We have a nice studio, I helped build it. We have other artists come collaborate there, it’s a nice space.

AllHipHop: Essentials you need in the studio to record?

Rocco: I don’t need a lot of people, I like to be by myself. I need a good beat for sure. I don’t really need much: by myself, a good beat, and I’ll take it from there.

AllHipHop: Do you freestyle or write?

Rocco: I freestyle and punch in everything. I rarely write, I do melodies. If I like it and it sticks, let’s go.

AllHipHop: What inspires you the most?

Rocco: Honestly, it’s weird. The people and the experiences I’m around, I tend to put myself in their shoes. I take a step outside of my body and put myself in their situations and experiences, so I can tell it from their point of view. That makes it a lot easier. Sometimes I don’t have the experience to really touch on certain subjects, but I can get into other people’s shoes and speak from that behalf. That really inspires me, seeing people go through stuff.

AllHipHop: What can we expect from your new single “Beware”?

Rocco: “Beware” is a step away form the typical Rocco the fans have been hearing. The visual’s very artistic, it’s very Drake sounding. If you can describe it in one word, it’s a vibe. It’s like dark Drake, the visual’s going to be crazy. We got ballerinas, I don’t wanna talk too much about it, it’s about to be crazy.

AllHipHop: Being only 18, what do you like to do for fun?

Rocco: Record, literally. [laughs] I like collaborating with artists on some fun s###, have my friends over and cook up. I used to play baseball, random teenage s###. Chillin’ with my friends, pretty normal. I’m usually in the studio all the time, that’s where I have the most fun.

AllHipHop: How is your hometown’s presence compared to elsewhere?

Rocco: It’s always different when you grow up somewhere and they know you, they’ve always known you your whole life. They love me and I love them, but out here my presence is a little different. Here, they know me as Rocco. Back home, they know me as who I was. I took over my town as far as music-wise, we’re the biggests ones so they gravitate towards me. But I’m more of an icon out here.

AllHipHop: How’d it feel having 76ers shooting guard Danny Green shout out your music?

Rocco: That was the craziest s### in the world. Being from Philly, seeing somebody that plays on the 76ers show love to your music, it’s validation in a sense. It’s crazy. Danny Green’s a great guy, shout out to Danny. It was fire.

AllHipHop: Are you big on hooping?

Rocco: Man, I like to think so. [laughs] But I’m not too good at it. I follow the 76ers, all Philly sports.

AllHipHop: How’s the independent grind?

Rocco: I personally love the independent grind. You can be independent by yourself or independent with your team, and I’m fortunate to have a team behind me. It’s like we already are a functioning label. We already have the tools we need.

AllHipHop: Who would you like to work with?

Rocco: Lil Wayne! Hell yeah.

AllHipHop: Goals for yourself at this point in your career?

Rocco: My main goal right now is consistency and figuring out what works. We’ve been putting our hands in a lot of baskets right now, picking out what works and sticking with it. Giving the fans the best possible music, the best possible visuals in a timely manner. Doing that consistently is going to amount to success, that’s the main goal right now.

AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?

Rocco: Stay tuned, we got a lot of things coming. It’s been a little word lately, I know they know that because we’ve been handling some business things. But the storm is coming, it’s about to be crazy.

Usher’s New Look ‘Disrupts’ the Summer with Two-Day Virtual Youth Summit

Usher Raymond’s non-profit, Usher’s New Look, is hosting their 2021 two-day Next Gen Disruptivator Summit on July 21 and July 22.

The youth-focused organization, which is focused on helping students find their SPARK, posted on their social media an opportunity for two young people to win seats to this action-packed summer conference.

“Parents and supporters of high school students, register your scholar today for two days of inspiration and fun. The #DisruptivatorSummit2021 is designed specifically to recharge and reenergize high school youth so they are prepared to reach new heights.”

On Instagram, it is captioned:

“GIVEAWAY TIME We are giving away 2 pairs of tickets to our 2021 Disruptivator Summit on July 21-22—two days of life-changing inspiration and fun! 

The Disruptivator Summit will be a virtual, creative gathering of 300+ forward-thinking youth leaders, grades 9th through 12th, from various national schools and organizations. Attendees will experience dynamic speakers, game-changing networking opportunities, inspiring performances, and tons of awesome surprises!

This will not be your average Zoom session! Each moment of the Disruptivator Summit has been designed to leave youth feeling recharged, reenergized, and prepared to crush high school and share their spark to improve their communities and the world.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Usher's New Look (@ushersnewlook)

For over 20 years, Usher’s New Look has been providing personal and professional development through teens from across the country. The organization has been charged, according to their mission statement, to “transform the lives of under-resourced youth through comprehensive programming which develops passion-driven, global leaders from middle school through college.” The Disruptivator Summit is an extension of this great work.

This is how you enter to win:

Follow @ushersnewlook. Like the contest post and tag 2 friends.

A Random Draw of two (2) winners (One pair of tickets per winner, so you can invite a friend!) will be announced on Instagram at 1:00 pm (EST) on July 14, 2021. All entries must be in by 10 am (EST) on July 14, 2021. 

Under the leadership of Careshia Moore, President & CEO, Geoff Streat, COO and Kamera Cobb. The National Program Coordinator, Usher is changing the lives of young people, helping them find their SPARK.

Cardi B Explains Why She Bought Kulture A $150K Necklace

Cardi B has hit back at critics of the $150,000 diamond necklace she gave daughter Kulture for her third birthday, insisting she has every right to spoil her little girl.

Cardi B presented Kulture with the extravagant necklace, which featured diamond charms of Minnie Mouse and the Chanel logo among others, following a no expense spared princess party to mark her big day.

In a video shared to Instagram, Kulture was seen smiling in delight as her mom opened the jewelry box to show her what was inside.

Cardi then clapped happily as she watched her daughter’s reaction.

However, following unconfirmed reports that the Elliot Eliantte necklace cost around $150,000, many of Cardi’s followers took to social media to call her out for the gift.

“Kulture got my whole tuition around her neck,” one person wrote, while another added, “I just hope they are investing the same amount on her education.”

But responding to the critics, Cardi insisted she will do whatever is takes to ensure Kulture – her daughter with husband Offset – is “fly.”

“When your kid want ice cream for dinner do you give them ice cream for dinner? My baby is overly spoiled wit toys & super educated,” she wrote. “If mommy & daddy fly then so is my kids. F### I look like being fly a####### and my kid not.”

She then tweeted that she’s “living my childhood dreams thru my kids”, to which one Twitter user asked if she meant that.

“Yes why not ? Princess parties ,unlimited toys , vacations and Pools my kid loves the pool and I went to the pool like 5 times in my childhood,” Cardi wrote in response. “Different flavor cereal not just Raisin Bran.”

Cardi is currently expecting her second child with Offset, who is said to have bought Kulture a $250,000 watch for her third birthday.

EMMYS NOMS: black-ish, Hamilton and Pose Should Win #RootingForEverOneBlack

73rd Emmy Primetime Awards nominations have been announced on Tuesday, July 13 by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Check out some of Hip-Hop’s favorite stars and shows that have were saluted with nods.

After a year of mandated indoor quarantines, television, cable and streaming services have bumped up substantially. Everyone was watching movies and shows from the comfort of their living rooms or the convenience of their devices. America as a whole has consumed more content from people of color by accident than ever before and this was noted in those deemed to be the crème de la crème.

HBO and HBO Max are dominating the award season this year with a total of 130 nominations. Netflix pulls upright on their heels with 129. Disney+, the mouse’s streaming company that squeaked into the rat race, comes in third with 71 films, shows, and talent recognitions.

Here are the nominees and in bold are the most Hip-Hop pics in AllHipHop.com’s opinion.

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Conan (TBS)
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

While Jimmy Kimmel Live! features Philadelphia’s rap band The Roots and a lot of urban segments, we think that the South African Trevor Noah worked the hardest to give us the real while making us laugh. Between Trump and his BLM commentary, his show consistently hit the right tone. Trev got this one.

Outstanding Competition Series
The Amazing Race (CBS)
Nailed It! (Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Voice (NBC)

RuPaul is a legend and the work that Ru does to provide safe space and commentary for queer humans is applause-worthy. He also unapologetically encouraged people to vote in the last season with several nods to the perils of homophobia and transphobia under the Trump administration — while again providing reprise for the community with humor.

Lead Actress, Comedy
Aidy Bryant, Shrill
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Allison Janney, Mom
Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish
Jean Smart, Hacks

No longer does anyone look at Tracee Ellis Ross as the daughter of the great Diana Ross. We look at her ability to pull of comedy (check homegirl back on MTV’s Lyricist Lounge) and drama with ease. Her desire to include representation is paramount, trumped only by her desire to be excellent.

Lead Actor, Comedy
Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
William H. Macy, Shameless
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Kenan Thompson, Kenan

Anthony Anderson and Kenan Thompson are neck-and-neck in this category. For seven seasons, we have grown to trust the proud Howard alum to give us is version of TV dad with a twist on black-ish. We learned that the former All That! and longest-serving SNL cast member could be trusted once his sitcom, Kenan, debuted this year. The win is a toss-up.

Comedy Series
black-ish (ABC)
Cobra Kai (Netflix)

Emily in Paris (Netflix)
Hacks (HBO Max)
The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)
The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
Pen15″ (Hulu)
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Bruh, you know we going for black-ish. If we are thinking of anything else it might be Cobra Kai because we remember the legacy from cult classic Karate Kid.

Lead Actor, Limited Series, Movie or Anthology
Paul Bettany, WandaVision
Hugh Grant, The Undoing
Ewan McGregor, Halston
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Leslie Odom, Jr., Hamilton

You better stop playing with us. “Alexander Hamilton … his name is Alexander Hamilton …” History in Hip-Hop, you know we got either the J.R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School grad, Leslie Odom, Jr., or Hunter College Elementary and High School Lin-Manuel. Our problem is that the votes are going to be split and neither might walk with the trophy. But “just you wait … just you wait!” Miracles do happen.

Lead Actress, Limited Series, Movie or Anthology
Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You
Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha
Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit
Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown

After the unfortunate death of Aretha Franklin, Nat Geo, went into to super drive to put out Genius: Aretha.  They cast Cynthia Erivo to play the Queen of Soul. She did an exceptional job. Multi-hyphenate Michaela Coel also did an exceptional job in I May Destroy You, also. This year she emerges as the award-season’s darling, and this is one of her nine Emmy nominations. She raked them up for HBO and BBC.

Outstanding Limited Series
I May Destroy You (HBO)
Mare of Easttown (HBO)
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime)
WandaVision (Disney+)

I May Destroy You, Coel’s genius work, may rack up this year, but we hope that The Underground Railroad wins the “Outstanding Limited Series” category. Colson Whitehead’s best seller was graphically told in a way that was needed for this day and time. And since the nation has given so much push back, this should put the stamp on the need for Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project.

Lead Actress, Drama
Uzo Aduba, In Treatment
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Emma Corrin, The Crown
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Mj Rodriguez, Pose
Jurnee Smollett, Lovecraft Country

Orange is the New Black was not her only hurrah. Uzo Aduba was dope in her role as a therapist named Dr. Brooke Taylor on HBO’s In Treatment. At the same time, Jurnee Smollett was dope as Letitia ‘Leti’ Lewis in the 50’s Hitchcock-ish Lovecraft Country. But this award should go to Mj Rodriguez from Pose. This season, the closing one, she was able to break boundaries with her epic performance.

Lead Actor, Drama
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Jonathan Majors, Lovecraft Country
Josh O’Connor, The Crown
Rege-Jean Page, Bridgerton
Billy Porter, Pose
Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason

Damn! Damn! Damn! Both Sterling K. Brown from This is Us and Billy Porter from Pose deserve this. Why in the world would y’all do this? Did you see the swan songs of these two? They are masters in this craft. Dangit … can’t even pick this one.

Drama Series
The Boys (Amazon)
Bridgerton (Netflix)

The Crown (Netflix)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Lovecraft Country (HBO)
The Mandalorian (Disney+)
Pose (FX)
This Is Us (NBC)

We got Pose.  Shonda Rhimes’ Bridgerton was so niche, and The Boys became too dark. Sure, we loved the cute baby Yoda in The Mandalorian, but it was not enough to make us lock in. This Is Us had us crying, but for people with circumstances many of us will never experience (I know it’s the human level thing but … keep it a buck).  Pose is our community and made Hip-Hop, with all of our macho flexing, acknowledge the other story of many of our aunties and uncles. We cried because we fell in love with those characters that had emerged triumphant out of some real discrimination and pain. 

Lauren London & Toya Johnson Support Lil Wayne’s Other Ex Nivea Following Interview About Abuse

Hip Hop artist Lil Wayne is the father of four children. Three of the women who birthed the Young Money leader’s offspring – Toya Johnson, Lauren London, and Nivea – are famous themselves.

Nivea recently sat down with The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Kandi Burruss for On That Note. On Monday, Nivea posted a teaser of the conversation to her Instagram page with a trigger warning about the discussion covering sexual violence and assault.

“I only share to inspire… Each and every one of us are WORTHY, VALUABLE, & CAPABLE of overcoming ANYTHING!!!” wrote Nivea in the Instagram caption. Her name began trending on Twitter as a result of the clip and reactions.

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A post shared by NiVEA (@thisisnivea)

Many of Nivea’s 331,000 followers showed support to the “Laundromat” singer in the Instagram post’s comment section. She also got backing from the mothers of her son’s half-siblings.

“Love you. You are pure magic and strength 🦋💙,” commented The Game and ATL actress Lauren London. In response, Nivea wrote, “Thank you Lauren!!! “I love you moreeee! ❤️.”

Toya Johnson also shared her thoughts under Nivea’s video. The Tiny and Toya and Friends and Family Hustle reality show star posted, “Great interview. So proud of you ❤️.” Nivea replied, “Thank you T!❤️.”

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A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom)

The Shade Room picked up the interactions between Nivea, Lauren London, and Toya Johnson. On That Note host Kandi Burruss then left a positive comment about Nivea under The Shade Room‘s post.

“I loved @thisisnivea before but even more now after hearing some of what she’s been through! She was really brave opening up the way she did. Y’all can see the whole thing on my YouTube page KandiOnline. Everybody please give her all the love & support she deserves!❤️,” posted the Xscape songstress.

More than 13,000 people liked Kandi Burruss’s message on Instagram. Nivea’s On That Note trailer garnered over 18,000 likes and 105,000 views. Besides taking part in an interview with Kandi, Nivea is also featured on the BET series The Encore.

Royce Da 5’9″ Declares West Coast Artists Make The Best Albums

Royce Da 5’9″ represents the city of Detroit, but the emcee believes rappers on the West Coast of the country make the best music projects. One half of Bad Meets Evil shared his thoughts on the subject on Twitter.

Royce named Kendrick Lamar, Game, YG, Nipsey Hussle, Roddy Ricch, DJ Quik, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Anderson .Paak, Schoolboy Q, Warren G, Daz Dillinger, and Kurupt. He also acknowledged record executives based in California.

“Important men in our culture who are underappreciated due to their reputations preceding them…,” quote-tweeted Royce Da 5’9″ when one of his followers thanked Death Row Records founder Suge Knight, Top Dawg Entertainment founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, and veteran artist manager Wack 100 for the success of West Coast Hip Hop.

Royce Da 5’9″ also retweeted additional users that posted about other West Coast recording artists such as The Pharcyde, The D.O.C., Tyler, The Creator, Vince Staples, Jay Rock, Glasses Malone, and E-40. Plus, the Michigan lyricist’s Slaughterhouse colleague, KXNG Crooked, shouted out The Lady of Rage which also got a retweet from Nickel Nine.

This year has seen several albums by West Coast rappers attain critical acclaim. Tyler, The Creator’s former Billboard 200 #1 Call Me If You Get Lost achieved an 89 score on Metacritic. Additionally, Vince Staple’s recently released self-titled LP currently has an 86 score on the site.

New albums by other California representatives have also earned high praise from professional critics. Mykki Blanco’s Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep (78) and Doja Cat’s Planet Her (77) are among the top-reviewed projects of 2021.

Three of the last six Best Rap Album winners at the Grammy Awards were created by Los Angeles natives (Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly in 2016, Kendrick Lamar’s Damn in 2018, Tyler, the Creator’s Igor in 2020).

For his own discography, Royce Da 5’9″ has multiple LPs that have earned “critical acclaim” from Metacritic. 2018’s Book of Ryan has an 84 score and 2011’s Success Is Certain has an 82 score on the website that aggregates album reviews. In addition, Royce’s The Allegory received a Best Rap Album nomination at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in March.

G Herbo Talks New York Adopting Chicago Drill Sound & Collaborating With Pop Smoke

This week, Herbert “G Herbo” Wright III earned the highest-charting position of his career on the Billboard 200 album chart. The Chicago native’s 25 debuted at #5 with 46,000 first-week units and 61 million on-demand streams.

The 25-year-old rap star formerly known as Lil Herb rose to national prominence from the Chicago Drill scene of the early 2010s. Since that time, the Drill sound has also become a staple of rising New York City rhymers.

“I love what New York did with Drill, the whole movement in general,” G Herbo told Ebro Darden on Apple Music 1’s Rap Life. “They took something and enhanced it.”

The “I Don’t Wanna Die” performer added, “I don’t feel like they took it and tried to like, run with the Chicago style, they made it unique to them, and made it hot and made it fun again. They made it stylish. That’s why I f### with it for real.”

On his 25 studio LP, G Herbo worked with New York-based rappers Lil Tjay on “Cry No More” as well as Rowdy Rebel on “Drill.” Apparently, Herbo has a collaboration with the late Brooklynite Pop Smoke in the vaults as well.

“I mess with Fivio [Foreign], Pop Smoke. Like me and Pop got some unreleased music that’s gonna come out soon hopefully. Me and Fivey got music. I ain’t ever worked with Rowdy before, I’m like you know I need to do something, I need to put him on this right now,” said G Herbo.

A second posthumous Pop Smoke album titled Faith is scheduled to be released on July 16. Victor Victor Worldwide label founder Steven Victor announced the news of the project on Sunday. An official tracklist has not been revealed, as of press time.

25 also includes guest features by Polo G, 21 Savage, The Kid Laroi, Gunna, and G Herbo’s son Yosohn. In addition, Herbo contributed the tracks “All Black” and “Revolutionary” to the Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album movie soundtrack which was released in February.

50 Cent’s ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ Renewed For Second Season

Power Book III: Raising Kanan has not even premiered yet, but the Starz network has already ordered a second season for the upcoming crime drama. The program, which is executive produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Courtney A. Kemp, is scheduled to launch on Sunday, July 18.

“One season isn’t enough to tell the coming-of-age story of Kanan Stark and his mother, Raq, a fierce and successful woman who is a force of nature,” said Jeffrey Hirsch, President/CEO of Starz. “The anticipation globally for more of the Power Universe made it clear that the Kanan story needs to continue.”

Mekai Curtis stars in Power Book III as Kanan Stark, a younger version of the character played by 50 Cent in the original Power series. The cast also includes Patina Miller, Omar Epps, London Brown, Malcolm Mays, Shanley Caswell, Lovie Simone, Toby Sandeman, Joey Bada$$, and Hailey Kilgore.

In addition to working behind the scenes, 50 Cent also created the “Part Of The Game” theme music for Power Book III: Raising Kanan. Memphis rapper NLE Choppa and Bronx singer-songwriter Rileyy Lanez appear on the song as well.

“Season 2 is lit 🔥by the time you make it to episode 5 you’re gonna say Raising Kanan is better than Power. 🚦Green Light Gang,” wrote 50 Cent on Instagram.

The Power Book III: Raising Kanan prequel takes place in Southside Jamaica Queens, New York City in 1991. Raising Kanan will arrive on Starz after the Power Book II: Ghost sequel debuted on the premium cable channel in September 2020.

Power Book II: Ghost starred Shane Johnson, Method Man, Mary J. Blige, Naturi Naughton, and more. The first Power series ran from 2014-2020. Omari Hardwick, Naturi Naughton, Joseph Sikora, Lela Loren, Michael Rainey Jr., Rotimi Akinosho, Alani “La La” Anthony, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson portrayed characters on Power.