Last year, Roc Nation and Long Island University joined forces to create the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment. This week, the Jay-Z-founded company and LIU announced Patrick “9th Wonder” Douthit is joining the New York institution’s faculty.
9th Wonder will serve as a visiting professor and artist in residence. The North Carolina-bred record producer is set to teach courses in Hip Hop history and the making of an album beginning the Fall 2021 semester.
“The Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment will welcome its inaugural class of exceptional students this fall who will be taught by world-renowned artists and educators, giving them practical insight and real-world, hands-on experience,” states Long Island University President Kimberly R. Cline.
9th Wonder will bring a wealth of music industry knowledge to the classroom. Throughout his career, The Wonder Years album creator produced tracks for Little Brother, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Destiny’s Child, Drake, Chris Brown, Rapsody, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Big Boi, Mary J. Blige, and many more.
Previously, 9th Wonder taught at Duke University and Harvard University. He is currently working with the Loeb Library at Harvard University to chronicle the top 200 Hip Hop albums of all time. 9th also served as an artist in residence at North Carolina Central University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Virginia.
“Music changed my life and opened doors for me in ways that I never could have imagined, so it’s only right that we impart our knowledge to help the next generation of ambitious leaders,” says 9th Wonder. “I’m truly honored to teach at the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment and look forward to equipping these students with the tools to break barriers in their own lives and careers.”
9th Wonder will be joined at the Roc Nation School by soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome and baritone vocalist Colin Levin. Newsome has served as a professor in the Music Department at Long Island University for 14 years. Levin formerly instructed students at Rowan University, Concord Academy, the International Summer Opera Festival, and the Mason Gross School of Music at Rutgers University.
“We’re thrilled to welcome such an esteemed group of musicians to serve as lecturers at the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment,” says Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez. “Their collective wisdom and versatility will be essential to ensuring that the students receive a well-rounded education.”
Rapper, community leader and activist Trae Tha Truth has always been a force to be reckoned with from his music to his humanitarian and philanthropic efforts.
The Houston native was even awarded with the Billboard Music Awards’ Change Maker Award last night at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.
His music is often inspired by the experiences of the disenfranchised, his journey, community outreach, and his pain.
While putting out music that discusses a multitude of relatable life topics, Trae has also dedicated his life to restoring, rebuilding, and revitalizing neighborhoods, businesses, schools, families and individuals through his Angel By Nature (ABN) and Relief Gang non-profit organizations.
Earlier this year, Trae joined forces with fellow change-maker and rapper Mysonne for an advocacy-focused album titled, ‘If You’re Scared Stay Inside.’ The social justice-inspired collaboration drew from occurrences such as the tragic murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
Trae and Mysonne sought to use their talents to capture the momentum of the movement through a collection of protest-motivated anthems.
Trae Tha Truth and Mysonne even travelled to Kentucky to protest Taylor’s murder. The two were wrongfully arrested twice while peacefully protesting.
The project was recorded with the intent to keep reform top of mind, be voices for the unheard and underrepresented, and remove barriers surrounding race, human rights and more.
Despite fighting a nearly decade-long local radio ban, Trae continues to release music that is introspective, brutally honest, and socially conscious. His lyrics speak to working to change the social and economic conditions of impoverished communities.
In the last few years, Trae has donated to COVID-19 relief funds, held voter registration drives, provided essential items for natural disaster victims, planned a peaceful march of over 80,000 people for George Floyd, and spearheaded a Juneteeth ride for justice.
AllHipHop had the opportunity to speak with Trae and discuss his new music, activism, philanthropy, losing Nipsey Hussle, collaborating with Beyoncé, his nearly decade-long local radio ban, being nominated for CNN Heroes, and much more.
Travis Scott has avoided a messy legal war with a top gaming company, over claims he ripped off their designs for joysticks. KontrolFreek sued the world-famous rapper in September of 2020.
The parties could not agree on a deal after Travis Scott and his team asked KontrolFreek to manufacture his products at no cost.
So, Travis and his team made up their designs – blatantly inspired by products created by KontrolFreek.
The lawsuit said Travis and his design team simply ripped off KontrolFreek’s designs for thumbstick covers and offered them for sale during his Fortnite event, which attracted over 12 million people.
According to the most recent round of court filings, Travis and KontrolFreek have managed to settle. Both parties had been in intense negotiations to squash the lawsuit to avoid the legal costs of going to court – and Travis almost blew it in April.
Travis and KontrolFreek were close to settling, when the rapper went radio silent, causing the gaming company to threaten to re-file their lawsuit.
However, last week, a settlement was reached for an undisclosed amount, and KontrolFreek is asking the judge to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice – meaning it cannot be filed again.
Brother Love, our very own P. Diddy, was about to experience some serious hate as trash reporter and conspiracy spreader Martin Bashir marked him as the subject for one of his projects.
Puffy’s former publicist Rob Shuter, host of the podcast “Naughty But Nice with Rob” told OK Magazine that Bashir, after tearing down Princess Diana by showing a fake abortion “receipt” and dragging Michael Jackson, wanted to target the Bad Boy executive.
“I had an encounter with Martin Bashir that I’ve never talked about,” Shuter said. “So after Martin did his Princess Diana interview, his next bombshell was Michael Jackson. He did the huge Michael Jackson interview and within months, Martin called me himself to meet me to do Diddy. He wanted Diddy, Puff Daddy, to be the next one in the trilogy.
“He took me to dinner at The Soho House. He worked me and worked me. He flirted with me. He emailed me. He played and he giggled all to get Diddy. As a publicist, you present a lot of opportunities to your clients, but you don’t get the final say,” Shuter continued. “So, I spoke to Puff and was like, ‘Martin Bashir wants to do you next after Michael Jackson.’ Puff was like, ‘Hell no! I’m not sitting down with him.’”
In related news, Michael Jackson’s relatives are reportedly considering legal action against Bashir, accusing him of using “manipulated footage” in his 2003 documentary about the late King of Pop.
The “Thriller” hitmaker’s brother Tito and his son Taj – Michael’s nephew – called out Bashir after he was found to have used deceptive practices to secure his controversial BBC interview with Princess Diana back in 1995.
The Jacksons are outraged by the findings and have turned the spotlight on the reporter’s work in the “Living with Michael Jackson” documentary, which took fans behind the scenes of the pop icon’s life at his Neverland Ranch in California and focused on his close relationships with young boys amid allegations of child molestation.
In the documentary, Michael was shown holding hands with 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo, with whom he would also share his bed, but the musician defended his actions, telling Bashir, “Why can’t you share your bed? That’s the most loving thing to do, to share your bed with someone.”
The film footage prompted prosecutors to investigate the controversial relationship, and the singer, who had previously denied child sexual abuse claims in 1993, was subsequently charged with multiple accusations of molestation but was cleared of all counts in a 2005 trial.
Now Tito and Taj insist the tragic superstar also fell foul of Bashir’s shady tactics.
Taj told Britain’s Sunday Mirror: “Bashir’s manipulated footage and unethically journalism is one of the main reasons my uncle Michael is not here today.
“That 2005 trial broke him. Shame on those who provided cover for Bashir. Shame on those who rewarded him. My family deserves an investigation and apology too.”
And Tito added, “Both Michael and Diana were victims of Bashir’s dark ambitions and dirty tricks and he is finally paying a price.”
Michael’s ex-bodyguard, Matt Fiddes, claims the Jackson family is currently weighing up its legal options. The King of Pop died from a cardiac arrest in 2009 following a fatal mixture of prescription drugs. He was 50.
Rapper Jay-Z will appear on LeBron James’ hit HBO Sports series, “THE SHOP: UNINTERRUPTED.”
The star-studded premiere episode of its fourth season, hosted by the Los Angeles Laker and influencer Maverick Carter, will welcome 23-time GRAMMY winner and 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Jay-Z; Puerto Rican chart-topper and GRAMMY winner Bad Bunny; WNBA superstar Nneka Ogwumike; and marketing executive Paul Rivera to talk about their careers and their epic takes on pop culture.
The announcement was made earlier on the UNINTERRUPTED Twitter profile. The post simply stated, “We’re back in business!”
According to an HBO Sports press release, the conversation bounces all over the place (which you might expect with the diversity of the guests) and topics include stage presence, confidence that is required to be on big stages in any industry, parenthood, and WrestleMania.
Created by Paul Rivera and Randy Mims, “THE SHOP: UNINTERRUPTED” is presented by HBO Sports and UNINTERRUPTED.
The show blends sports and entertainment and has featured Drake, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Diddy, Lil Nas X, Will Smith, Kevin Hart, and most recently, the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.
James and Carter share the executive producer titles with Jamal Henderson, Devin Johnson, and Philip Byron.
The episode is set to air on Friday, May 28 at 9:30 pm on HBO Max.
The Ultimate Madness 3 Semi-Finals ended with two of the West Coast’s greatest emcees emerging as victors.
Every F**ckin’ Bar, a collective that includes Compton’s Geechi Gotti and Arizona’s Rum Nitty, were merciless as they performed flawless performances. Both rappers justly received undeniable 3-0s after annihilating their opponents, opponents that had given their all to get to this top spot of the competition.
Still, Geechi who went against the Tiny Titan from Texas Casey Jay was exceptional.
Geechi vs. Casey Jay UM3 (NDS)
It might be her fault.
For weeks, she has been asking for her opps to come with their best pen game and fully prepared. Welp, BayBay did. He didn’t target her sexuality in the traditional way, sizing the sexy shorty up and telling her what she can do for him. Instead, he took the “Bill Collector against Yoshi G” approach that critiqued her sexual behavior outside of the ring and tied it to the popular rumor that she has a male ghostwriter. Battle Rap is about exploiting rumors and hearsay, exaggerating truths, attempting to embarrass people for what could be perceived as flaws.
Unfortunately, intragender battle rap competitions lean too much on social identity constructs and the crowd propensity to believe that a woman can’t do something unless she is doing this or that a woman who owns her sexuality is not as valuable as a business person, a mother, a community stake-holder or as a battler. Terms like sneak-d*cking, polyamorous relationships, same-gender-loving and s###-shaming are norms in the culture and used in battles often to win — while claiming to uplift and is a tired strategy (even as it is effective).
It’s tired … because everyone likes sex — so what.
But Geechi did not end it there, he spoke about her talent and flow. He spoke about her appearance/ looks, something extremely important to her (and most women), and her parenting. He also attacked her mother (who was actually in the audience). It was brutal, but again, she asked for it.
Geechi vs. Casey Jay UM3 (NDS)
Casey Jay, to her credit, was not a punching bag. She was cooking and showcased lyrically one of her best performances yet. A performance that many were distracted by because of the biased West Coast crowd that overwhelmingly responded to her opponents’ bars.
That "part ya s### better than the b#### that do your braids!" bar from CASEY was fire!!!
— BattleRapStats: bars.battlerapstats.com (@BattleRapStats) May 23, 2021
Casey actually cooking right now
— BattleRapStats: bars.battlerapstats.com (@BattleRapStats) May 23, 2021
— BattleRapStats: bars.battlerapstats.com (@BattleRapStats) May 23, 2021
It leaves this for us to question, “How come no women or representatives from the battle rap league that gave her celebration, Queen of The Ring, were standing behind her?” “Where were her Bardashian sisters?” It was weird not seeing them behind her, especially after she has represented the group so beautifully by adding value as an elite artist, always looking like a sophisticated dime piece, and a representing as a real class act.
Surely, that would have made it appear a little less one-sided if she wasn’t standing there on stage alone.
Lyrically, she punched Geechi in the face. His first real battle against a woman (yes, he battled RX but that was play-play for a gender reveal party … no matter if she took her shot seriously) was no walk in the park. She was scratching with her setups and drawing blood with her delivery. It’s been noted before, when the bright-eyed vixen gets in her bag and she lurches over and starts swaying from side to side, she looks possessed by the rhymes in her head.
If Jaz the Rapper is Kitty Pryde and O’fficial is Storm then surely Kylie Penner is Jean Grey (with them grey eyes). She is a force of intergalactic nature as a battle emcee and deserves the crown of top girl RIGHT NOW.
Geechi just was Geechi and was the Plan Omega that male battlers needed to defeat her.
Rum Nitty vs. Cortez UM3 (NDS)
Rum Nitty, Geechi’s partner in rhyme, battled Brooklyn’s own Cortez in the semi-finals, beating him in a heart-wrenching (but honorable) defeat.
He is the master of punching and many believe that Nitty’s Mayweather-esque approach to battling is not as well-rounded as it needed to be the veteran Murda Ave rep. He seemed pretty well-rounded and viciously talented on Saturday’s Caffeine broadcast.
With almost ten years in the game, he has earned every bit of honor that he is currently experiencing and absorbing the lessons learned from his very formidable opponents. People have accused Rum of taking too many battles, but maybe his high activity develops something that more traditional “I-battle-every-eight-month” rappers could really benefit from — a pen that is unf*ckwithable and discipline of mind that is so intensive that he could battle every other day if he wanted to.
People also hate a winner.
Since being #1 on the URL App, he has experienced some backlash — probably from fans that are personality-driven versus appreciating his unique art and skill. One has to be impressed by his wordplay and brilliance. One is only fooling themselves when they trick themselves into thinking he is not as fire as he actually is. Whether Cor messed up or not, Rum would have come out (this repeat battle) as the victor. He has simply mastered digging out of a hole.
Just as much as people hate a winner, they hate vets.
Cor is a vet and sometimes, just because he has years of experience, they want to say he is washed. This competition season not only proved that he remains a force in the culture, but it also afforded him the platform to show how his technical wordplay could be compacted in a two-minute round performance.
He not only reversed people’s opinions of him but also how they have assessed his resume. Once thought of as the vault king, now people are thinking maybe the bias is so great that we as newer battle rap fans (immersed in his only post his Grindtime career) have been swayed by commentary from larger microphones and more popular battlers.
Rum Nitty vs. Cortez UM3 (NDS)
The “Cor” that we got during this season was awe-inspiring and should quickly push him up in ranking, get him more bread and moreover get him more battles (which are not always progressions that are guaranteed).
During the battle, he choked in ways that the win just could go to him. But also, despite his powerful content (and he was saying some sh*t), he was overpowered by a focus Nitty that needed that personal win for his own legacy.
People would take away credit from Cortez for beating O’fficial because she choked And disregard his good material.
And in the same breath, they will praise Rum Nitty for beating a choking Cortez because of his good material.
If you hate Cortez that much, just say that.
— Let’s Talk Battle Rap (@LTBRpodcast) May 24, 2021
Geechi and Rum Nitty will face each other again at NOME (Night of Main Events) 11 for the cash prize of $100,000 sponsored by the chart-topping Toronto artist and battle rap fan, Drake. This competition will be exclusively aired on Caffeine.TV on June 12.
NOME 11’s card was released and with that, the Ultimate Rap League is pushing a new narrative of legacy, sustainability, and embracing the future.
The trailer shows all of the stars that they have made over the first 10 years of their existence— and presents their continued ability to create new stars in the next decade.
Ice Cube is being sued by Sir Jinx for being shady with the books and not paying him what he is owed.
While Ice Cube is advocating for the government and white folk to do right by Black people, he allegedly seems an example of the pot calling the kettle black.
According to a recent court filing, Sir Jinx is saying that Ice Cube, his long-time musical collaborator, has not totally paid him for royalties from production that he did on 28 tracks dating back to the 1990s.
Some of those songs include the following jams, that defined his new image as an artist post leaving Eazy E’s group: “No Vaseline,” “True to the Game,” “The Bomb,” “It’s a Man’s World,” “The Funeral,” and “Who Got the Camera?”
Sir Jinx asserts that in 2019, he became aware that he is owed more money and the NWA founder, whose real name is O’Shea Jackson, refused to pay him because he has given money in the past.
Sir Jinx is asking for a judge to place an accounting of Cube’s books. He is also asking him to review the signed contracts between the rapper and producer to see what is legally owed.
Reports now contend that Ice Cube is reviewing the filing, but wants the world to know that he has loaned Jinx money that has not been paid back.
Seems like he wants to talk “that” before he even considers unpaid royalties.
Sir Jinx, born Anthony Wheaton, is Dr. Dre’s cousin. His relationship with Ice Cube goes back to the mid-80s, when they were part of a group called Stereo Crew.
He became an accomplished producer and outside of Ice Cube, Sir Jinx has produced for Yo Yo, George Clinton, Too Short, Isaac Hayes, CeCe Peniston and others.
It’s crazy to think YungManny is only 17-years-old, and he’s already on his way to becoming a household name.
Hailing from the DMV, the rising star recently released “Clap For ‘Em,” tapping two of rap’s most buzzing artists: Flo Milli and Sada Baby. The song accumulated over 300K streams within one day of its release and currently has over 2.4 million views on TikTok alone.
YungManny arrives with his own unique sound and style, exploding with energy and equipped with endless melodies, bars, and pride for his hometown of Lagos, Nigeria.
In fact, he shot the “The One” visual in Lagos, bringing to life his braggadocious bars while performing in the heart of the city. But don’t get it twisted, YungManny is actually classically trained in piano, incredibly smart, and has a huge passion for giving back.
Now, it seems the sky’s the limit for the young recording artist.
AllHipHop: It’s crazy how young you are, do you feel like you’re 17?
YungManny: I mean, I know I am. But I’m the GOAT, so I know what that comes with. All the GOATs are recognized. Michael Jackson was 5 years old, so I know what I’m trying to achieve.
AllHipHop: What’re you trying to achieve?
YungManny: To be recognized as the best to ever stand behind a microphone, ever. I got Michael Jackson on my sleeve [shows tattoo] so on the pedestal, I could look down on him. ‘Cause ain’t nobody better than Michael.
AllHipHop: That’s facts, but he’s more pop no?
YungManny: Nah, I’m talking about greatest of all time! When you talking about the greatest of all time, you can’t put nobody with Michael.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite Michael Jackson song?
YungManny: I got a couple, but I can say my favorite video is the “Remember the Time” joint. I look at him for videos. Videos are how they really see the artists. I don’t be playing about my videos. The energy gotta be there because that’s how they can mess with a song or not mess with a song, literally off the video. Every video he had looked like a movie, from “Smooth Criminal” to the one with Chris Tucker to the one with the Egyptian pyramids to the ones where he was in jail. Everything was a movie, there wasn’t no bland video. I take after that because that’s what made his music as influential as it is.
AllHipHop: How much of a creative hand do you have in your visuals?
YungManny: I love to give my ideas every time. Every time I make a song, I’m thinking about everything: the concerts, the videos, all of the above. It’s important that gets across because I know what I’m trying to convey to the world and let the world to see. It’s way better when s### is aligned. I know what I’m doing.
AllHipHop: You got on at age 15, what happened then?
YungManny: I had a song that blew up, it was Moana. I released it on my mixtape, but I didn’t really focus on that. I had another song that I thought was better, so I was focusing on that.
AllHipHop: Damn, it be the ones that you don’t expect right?
YungManny: Yeah, I learned that. But I know I make good music, especially now. I got better. I’m just about putting good music into the air. I don’t really care too much about numbers. As long as I put forth my full effort into the studio and in that video, everything that comes out with that song — whether it gets a million first day or 10 views first day, I know it’s in the air. One day whether it’s today or tomorrow, they gon’ catch it.
AllHipHop: When did you learn how to play the piano?
YungManny: My father forced me to learn when I was 10 or 11. I’d be playing in the church every weekend. He wasn’t trying to pay nobody every week to play the piano, so he invested into my lessons. Although I hated it when he was forcing it on me, me becoming a musician came full circle.
AllHipHop: How was it growing up in the DMV?
YungManny: It’s a cool area. It’s where I’m from so I’ll never forget that. It shaped me into who I am. It taught me lessons. The winning and losing, all the above. For me, that’s what that place is.
AllHipHop: How’d you get your name? When did you want to go by YungManny?
YungManny: My big brother was rapping with his friends for fun and his name was YungKeeK, so I’m like YungManny!
AllHipHop: “Clap for ‘Em” out now, going crazy! How you feeling?
YungManny: S###, it’s a blessing. I’m grateful, came a long way. I got the hottest record out right now. Like I said, this is what’s supposed to happen, from the jump.
AllHipHop: How did that collab with Flo Milli and Sada Baby come about?
YungManny: Flo my dog, Sada I met through that record. My folks know his folks. I f### with his music so I told him “let’s get in touch. Let’s knock a record out.” He was with it, got that s### sent it back like this. [snaps]
AllHipHop: How did your friendship start with Flo?
YungManny: We were in the studio together, just 2 hungry m############. We clicked as soon as we met each other. She’s always been real cool, even through the stardom and the fame that’s continuing to grow for her daily. She’s never changed, never acted different. Never acted like nothing else but what she acted like on the first day, I respect her for that.
AllHipHop: How was the song made? Did you send it?
YungManny: I sent it to her, but I let her know as soon as I made it. I knew who I wanted on it before I even finished my verse. I saw it and it’s funny because that’s the part that’s going viral on TikTok. I knew what it was, my intuition ain’t a shaky intuition. I give glory to God, it ain’t me. God gave me the mind that I have and the wisdom to do what I do, but I know what I’m doing.
AllHipHop: 2.4 million videos on TikTok, that’s wild! How does it feel to see the song go up like that?
YungManny: I didn’t even know it’s at 2.4 million, I haven’t checked it. These past couple weeks have been busy, I be working daily. I gotta get better at multitasking. Once I’m doing something, I be focused on that. When I’m recording, I don’t do s### but record. Sometimes when I’m on TikTok mode, I don’t do nothing but be on Tik Tok. My ole girl would be mad, I used to hang up every 5 seconds because I had a new idea for a TikTok.
AllHipHop: That’s hilarious! I’m sure it’s fun to be yourself on the platform, right?
YungManny: Hell yeah, I’m the funniest guy in the world. I be doing me, it ain’t nothing but that. I guess TikTok’s the perfect app for me, I got a funny personality.
AllHipHop: Why are you “The One”?
YungManny: If you observe me, you’ll get the answer for yourself.
AllHipHop: How was it shooting the video in Lagos? I’m guessing you’re Nigerian.
YungManny: Yeah, I’m Nigerian. I’m from the Motherland. It was cool, my second time back home. It was definitely nice to be in the community and capture the beauty of my country. People think it’s all huts and s### like that, but it’s way more than that.
AllHipHop: Best memory from shooting back home?
YungManny: Just capturing what back home really is. It’s beautiful, and that’s rare people don’t get to see s### like that out here. I wanted my friends, the community, and everybody in America to really see what was going on.
AllHipHop: Being 17, what do you like to do for fun?
YungManny: Make music. Nothing else, that’s all. I got a goal, tunnel vision to be the greatest. But I’m already the greatest, it’s just for the world to find out.
AllHipHop: What do you need in the studio to record?
YungManny: I need nggas to be quiet. Nggas to shut up and let me do me, that’s it.
AllHipHop: You don’t like a packed studio?
YungManny: No, ‘cause ngga’s energy be off. Nggas just be coming to come, I hate that s###.
AllHipHop: What does moms think? How does family feel?
YungManny: It’s a blessing. They still over protective and what not, but it’s a great opportunity to do something. They believe in me, they know I can change the world. I express my feelings about it deeply, as much as I can. I’m not over my head with this s###, but at the end of the day they’re my parents. My safety and my well-being comes first, that’s how they feel about this s###.
AllHipHop: What can we expect next?
YungManny: Everything I drop! Because I’m coming with it every song. Whether it’s a rap song or a singing song, it’s a #1 hit regardless.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
YungManny: Everybody gotta stay tuned in. Tap in, endless records coming this year. Probably 30 more records coming soon. Features, singles, albums, all of the above. No song is dull. No song ain’t capable of being on the billboard. Let’s get ready, I told you first!
Gray eventually exited the house, and was charged with aggravated assault, assault and disorderly conduct. And now, Gray will face the music for his actions.
The actor pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 10 days in a county jail, as well as three years of probation.
The terms of Gray’s probation include refraining from drugs and alcohol, and he’s banned from possessing stun guns or firearms. Gray is also barred from associating with anyone with a criminal record, unless he has written permission from the police.
T.I. and Tiny‘s youngest son, King Harris, is a chip off the old block! In a recent post that has now gone viral, King Harris gets into a confrontation with a man of sizable stature. That means dude was big! Well, King is not a really big guy but we’re here lacks in size, he has a little bit a heart with them. The kid isn’t dumb. He went straight for the bag with something in it, but what was in it?
Now? What do you make of this situation? I see you potentially grown man intentionally bullying a very young man (16 years old), definitely smaller. We don’t know what happened before, but we see what happened after. The bag in question was relatively small so there wasn’t a long shotgun in the bag, but some are speculating that there may have been a fireman the way people backed off it seem like they knew dude might start dumping on him them. And and dude definitely chilled out quickly. Some of the initial posts I saw said this was an instance of bullying so that could be the case. It also could be the case that dude knows that if King Harris gets hurt, he’s going to hurt even more…the Kang is around the way somewhere.
By the way, some people have suggested that King is scared to fight. Not the case.
Charlamagne Tha God got all the smoke over the weekend, but he has swiftly resolved the matter with Kwame Brown. Kwame Brown, as you know is a veteran NBA player who has retired, but he was a subject of much discussion when commentators decided to remark on his career. First of all the man made over $60 million in roughly 12 years. That’s success even if he didn’t become the next Michael Jordan. So, Charlamagne the God has apologized.
He did the right thing, because there was nothing else to do. After hearing what Kwame Brown said, particularly about his father and the revelations around his father situation, that was the best deal. We didn’t know, and I’m sure that Charlamagne didn’t know that he revealed more about Kwame‘s family then Kwame even knew. And I am sure that is very hurtful, and I have to tip my hat to Charlamagne for acknowledging that he was totally wrong. I mean, we can tell he didn’t mean any harm, but it went left fast.
Meanwhile, I noted noticed that they dropped a bomb at the end of the video. And that seems to be a nod to Funk Flex. Over the weekend Funk Flex went berserk on Charlamagne in a way I have not heard anyone do. Now, we know these guys are long time rivals and they are the spearhead at their respective radio stations. So they are going to be rivals as representatives of a corporate entity. But it was a phenomenal act from Funk Master Flex, even if his intentions were not pure. The whole spectacle of it made it worth listening to.
I think they may want to send him one of those cease and desist letters! He was talking reckless and greasy! It should be noted that, while Jessica Reid says she was raped by C Tha God when she was 15 years old, a rape kit test did not support that. There was no Tha God DNA in that kit. I am not sure who HAD fluids in that kit, but it was not him. Charla eventually had to plead guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor – a function of having alcohol at this tragic and fateful party.
Now the question is: what next? That is a very good question. I do think that the smoke will dissipate, I do think the beef will subside. But I think that Kwame brown is looking to get his initiatives in the community funded, and that means money. So I am hoping that Charlamagne and his corporate interests gets the opportunity to make Kwame Brown whole in the way that seems to work for him. Help the kids in the community!
One thing is for sure, we can see that Charlamagne is a highly evolved individual who has changed dramatically from his days back down south, his days with Wendy Williams to the present day. The truth is, I can respect that. I do believe there was very little he could say on this Monday morning in opposition to the smoke he received, but I thought that his apology was thoughtful, sincere, and even classy. So let’s see what happens next.
However, some social media users are attempting to spoil Drake’s triumphant moment by bringing up one of the OVO Sound frontman’s rivals. G.O.O.D Music representative Pusha T began trending on Twitter following the BBMAs on Sunday.
Drake versus Pusha T will go down as one of the most storied Hip Hop battles in history. The years-long feud culminated with Pusha’s 2018 diss track “The Story of Adidon” which exposed that Drake had a son named Adonis with former sex worker Sophie Brussaux.
For perhaps the first time in his career, a large part of the public declared Drake took a definitive loss in his lyrical bout with Pusha T. Unlike the outcome of his back-and-forth with Meek Mill three years earlier, Drake was the person who found his face on countless internet memes in the summer of 2018.
Pusha using an old photo of Drake in blackface for the “Adidon” cover art as well as lines like “you are hiding a child, let that boy come home, deadbeat m########### playing border patrol” caused many unbias observers to give the win to the Virginia emcee over Drizzy.
Drake even acknowledged Pusha T’s “The Story of Adidon” was a strategic victory. During a sit down with the Rap Radar Podcast in 2019, the Scorpion album creator said, “I tip my hat to the chess move. It was a genius play in the game of chess. It definitely warranted my first ‘loss’ in the competitive sport of rapping.”
Unfortunately for Drake, there will likely always be a group of Hip Hop heads that mention his “L” to Pusha T whenever his son Adonis is in the public spotlight. The Billboard Music Awards presentation featuring the three-year-old boy reignited the conversation about some of the more scathing bars on “The Story of Adidon.”
Some Twitter users joked that Drake embracing Adonis during his BBMA Artist Of The Decade speech was the direct result of Pusha T forcing the 34-year-old Canadian to be a father to his son. Other commenters claimed the fact that Pusha was a trending topic last night was further proof he defeated Drake back in 2018.
Drake maintains he was never a “deadbeat” father to a “secret” son. He addressed the topic during an interview on LeBron James’ The Shop talk show as well as on songs such as “March 14” and “Emotionless.” The latter track includes Drake rapping, “I wasn’t hiding my kid from the world. I was hiding the world from my kid.”
After weeks of teasing a possible collaborative project, Lil Baby and Lil Durk officially announced a release date for the duo’s forthcoming V.O.H. album. Both rhymers took to social media to share the news with their followers.
“Album finish 🔥🔥🤯 June 4 V.O.H,” tweeted Lil Baby on Sunday evening. Less than ten minutes later, Lil Durk posted the exact same message on Twitter. The Chicago representative also wrote, “Album finished 🔥🔥🤯 June 4 V.O.H.”
Earlier this month, Lil Baby apparently made the mistake of jumping the gun on the V.O.H. release date. The Atlanta-raised rapper quickly deleted an Instagram caption that read, “How does Voice of the Heroes dropping May 28 sound? @lildurk .”
Then the following week saw Lil Baby publicly discuss the forthcoming joint project with Lil Durk. The 26-year-old hitmaker told MTV News, “It’s gonna be one of the craziest albums to ever come out.”
Lil Durk and Lil Baby reconnected for the “Every Chance I Get” single off DJ Khaled’s #1 album Khaled Khaled. The Tay Keith-produced Baby/Durk collaboration reached the Top 20 of Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart. Its music video is still trending on YouTube after collecting over 16 million views.
There is a lot to rejoice about in the Dreamville camp. The record label’s leader, J. Cole, currently has the #1 album in America. The Off-Season debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart.
With 282,000 first-week units, The Off-Season pulled the largest sales total for any Hip Hop project in 2021. The studio LP was second overall only to Taylor Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) with 291,000 units in April.
In addition, J. Cole’s The Off-Season pulled in 325 million on-demand streams in its initial week of release. That total is now the new streaming benchmark for any album this year.
Sending a thank you from Rwanda! #1 album, I appreciate the love, i heard the noise from out here. the off-season means keep pushing yourself, I will do the same. ❤️❤️
“Sending a thank you from Rwanda! #1 album, I appreciate the love, I heard the noise from out here. The Off-Season means keep pushing yourself, I will do the same. ❤️❤️,” tweeted J. Cole. The North Carolina native now has six #1 albums in his catalog.
Dreamville co-founder, Ibrahim Hamad, wrote on Twitter, “The Off-Season really like that!!! I ain’t gon lie I don’t think any Cole project got this type of reaction and love especially from the people [whose] opinion I really respect. Can’t wait to see this live if we can figure out this touring with all the COVID regulations.”
The Off-Season really like that!!! I ain’t gon lie I don’t think any Cole project got this type of reaction and love especially from the people who’s opinion I really respect. Can’t wait to see this live if we can figure out this touring with all the covid regulations.
The Off-Season was executive produced by J. Cole, Ibrahim Hamad, and T-Minus. Guest features include 21 Savage, Morray, Bas, Lil Baby, and 6LACK. Several tracks from the project are predicted to open in the Top 10 of the next Hot 100 chart. “Interlude” already peaked at #8.
Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011), Born Sinner (2013), 2014 Forest Hills Drive (2014), 4 Your Eyez Only (2016), and KOD (2018) are J. Cole’s other Number Ones on the Billboard 200. All five of those albums have been certified Platinum or higher by the RIAA. Born Sinner is 2x-Platinum. 2014 Forest Hills Drive is 3x-Platinum.
80K wow. My 12 year ago self would be so proud. No videos, lyric videos, no tik tok challenges, no radio & no heavy playlisting due to it coming as a surprise. Didn’t even drop w|clean versions to the songs. Long live #BeamMeUpScotty I love you guys so much. Thank you so much🥲🦄
Elsewhere on the latest Billboard 200, Nicki Minaj scored her third #2 project. The re-packaged 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty with three new tracks launched in second place with 80,000 units. 2015’s The Pinkprint and 2018’s Queen also peaked at #2. 2011’s Pink Friday and 2012’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded made it to the top of the tally.
The Weeknd was expected to be the big victor of the night at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, and the XO label head did not disappoint. The man born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye took home 10 trophies.
Last month, Billboard announced the finalists for this year’s ceremony. The Weeknd led the pack of nominees with 16 nods. He was followed by DaBaby with 11 nominations.
Last night, The Weeknd won Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Radio Songs Artist, Top R&B Artist, and Top R&B Male Artist. The Canadian vocalist’s After Hours won Top R&B Album. His “Blinding Lights” single won Top Hot 100 Song, Top Radio Song, and Top R&B Song.
The Weeknd’s multiple victories at the 2021 BBMAs were in stark contrast to being completely shut out at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in March. He did not get a single nomination by The Recording Academy which led to The Weeknd calling the Grammys “corrupt.”
Pop Smoke was posthumously awarded Top New Artist, Top Rap Artist, and Top Rap Male Artist as well as Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Rap Album for Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon. Pop Smoke’s mother, Audrey Jackson, accepted the golden microphones on behalf of her late son.
BTS and Bad Bunny each earned four wins at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. DaBaby and Roddy Ricch’s “ROCKSTAR” won Top Streaming Song and Top Rap Song. Megan Thee Stallion won Top Rap Female Artist.
Other winners included Drake for Top Streaming Songs Artist, Doja Cat for Top R&B Female Artist, and SAINt JHN for Top Dance/Electronic Song (“Roses Imanbek Remix”). Machine Gun Kelly won Top Rock Artist and Top Rock Album (Tickets to My Downfall). Kanye West won Top Gospel Artist and Top Gospel Song (“Wash Us In The Blood” featuring Travis Scott).
Trae Tha Truth was presented with the Billboard Music Awards Change Maker Award for his community-based activism and philanthropy. Drake was in Los Angeles, California’s Microsoft Theater to accept his BBMA for Artist Of The Decade. Plus, Pop performer P!nk received the ICON Award.
Aubrey Drake Graham was named the 2010s Artist Of The Decade at this year’s Billboard Music Awards. The Toronto-born rapper/singer was present at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles to accept the honor.
When Drake took the stage to receive his trophy, he was accompanied by his parents, OVO Sound comrades, and his son Adonis. He used his acceptance speech to shout out his fellow musicians and his 3-year-old child.
“I want to dedicate this award to my friends. I want to dedicate this award to my longtime collaborators. I want to dedicate this award to all my peers,” said Drake. “All of your decisions and the music you make really does have me tossing and turning at night trying to figure out what I should do next.”
Moments later, Adonis tried to walk away from his dad as he was speaking to the crowd. Drake picked him up and added, “And to you. I want to dedicate this award to you.”
The 34-year-old Lil Wayne protégé was also publicly praised yesterday by 4-time NBA champion LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers All-Star narrated a video package celebrating Drake’s Artist Of The Decade victory.
In the clip, LeBron James laid out many of Drake’s 2010-decade Billboard chart accolades and records, including nine #1 albums on the Billboard 200, six #1 singles on the Hot 100, 232 chart entries on the Hot 100, and 45 Top 10 entries on the Hot 100.
Apparently, Adonis is as much of a huge fan of LeBron James as the former NBA MVP is a huge fan of Drake. Earlier his month, Drake posted a video of Adonis being completely astonished by a YouTube video of James’s career highlights.
A popular member of Tupac’s Outlawz is in the hospital and recovering after suffering from a major health scare.
Young Noble was rushed to the hospital yesterday (May 22) after what he labeled as a “serious heart attack.”
The rapper posted a picture of himself from the hospital today, along with a message warning his fans and followers to take their health seriously.
“Thank you to all my luved ones who been praying for me I had 1 of the worst days of my life yesterday I had a serious heart attack but God is too good & the amazing doctors brung me back an they getting me right,” Young Noble said. “I plan to put everything in my life on hold while I recover an get my health all the way right…This will only make me stronger I’m grateful for a second chance an I beg y’all please please please take your health serious all the unhealthy living an stress catches up sooner than later!”
Jay-Z’s marijuana company continues to make big-time power moves in the legalized cannabis market.
Earlier this month, the company made $67 million worth of transactions, including a $50 million purchase in a company Mercer Park Brand Acquisition Corp., which is about to merge with another company called Glass House Group in a deal worth $567 million.
When that deal is done, Hov’s company will have ownership in California’s largest cannabis producer. The Parent Company also negotiated a 10-year deal with Glass House, which will produce almost half a million pounds of cannabis biomass.
“These partnerships are a fantastic opportunity to secure long-term access to over 900,000 pounds of high-quality, low-cost, California-grown cannabis for use across our expanding portfolio of branded products,” said Steve Allan, Chief Executive Officer of The Parent Company. “Our focus over the last 100 days has been to continue to scale up our supply chain. Our strategic investment accomplishes two important components, gaining access to Glass House’s greenhouse-grown cannabis at attractive pricing and expanding the distribution of our products to their network of retail stores.”
The Parent Company is also snapping up pristine real estate from cannabis-based farmers.
The Parent Company purchased four acres of licensed high-quality outdoor cultivation from a consortium of experienced cannabis farms affiliated with a company called Mosaic.Ag.
The rap star/mogul’s company paid $17 million in a combination of cash and common shares of The Parent Company and advanced the farmers $6 million in cash.
A gang member accused of shooting two people on behalf of rapper Casanova is begging for a new lawyer.
In January of 2021, Jarrett “Jayecee” Crisler was arrested for allegedly shooting two people in front of the King of Diamonds strip club in Miami, in October of 2020.
The shooting took place after a member of the Crips approached Casanova for flashing rival gang signs.
Crisler has been trying desperately to mount his defense, but he claims his lawyer Dominick Porko is not looking out for his best interest.
“I feel that Mr. Porco does not have my best interest in this case and instead of me being a step closer to going home to my family I feel he will push me to the other direction,” Jayecee said. “Since the beginning of my case Mr. Porco used to scare tactics to have me admit to charges that I have not committed without even asking me what if, anything happened.”
In fact, Crisler claims his lawyer has been attempting to get him to flip and testify against Cas and the United Gorilla Stone Nation. Crisler said Porco was taking advantage of his “ignorance of jail and laws to his advantage” to try to “scare” him into cooperating.
“He has visited me 3 times since I have been here in New York the first 2 visits was solely used to offer me the opportunity to cooperate with the attorneys of the United States, its not until our 3rd visit he ‘realized’ we had a trial worthy case and that was after 2 visits and 5 months in jail with a threat from my father to fire him.”
Crisler is hoping to get rid of Porco as his public defender, in favor of a lawyer who will be focused on his defense, instead of flipping him.
The shooting in Miami was used against Casanova and cited as a reason for a judge to deny the rapper’s $2.5 million bail proposal, claiming he was a flight risk and a danger to the community.
The rap star was one of 18 members of the Gorilla Stone Nation who have been charged in a RICO case for drug dealing, shooting at rivals, and even murder.
Casanova is charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to knowingly and intentionally manufacture, distribute, or dispense, or possess with intent to manufacture, distribute or dispense a controlled substance.
He is also charged with and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Casanova’s next hearing is due to take place on August 2.
Lil Nas X almost let it all hang out during his performance on “SNL” last night (May 22).
The rap star was the musical guest on SNL. He decided to close out the show with his hit song “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” when he had an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction.
Everything was going fine, as Lil Nas X was prancing, dancing, gyrating and grinding on with his male back up dancers. Just as money was raining down on the rapper, he climbed up a stripper pole and his tight pants ripped open, as dropped down to twerking.
The rapper knew something was up, so he immediately covered his man parts Michael Jackson style, and continued to his performance.
The rapper managed to keep his cool, as his six dancers grabbed at his waist and man parts, apparently oblivious to the faux pas.
Lil Nas X said his pants ripping capped off a hectic 24 hours, due to COVID.
“At first i was afraid to even perform. then we rehearsed for 2 weeks, then all of the dancers got removed because one had covid and new ones had to learn the routine in 24 hours, and then i ended up ripping my pants and couldn’t finish. everything happens for a reason tho lol,” Lil Nas X lamented.
at first i was afraid to even perform. then we rehearsed for 2 weeks, then all of the dancers got removed because one had covid and new ones had to learn the routine in 24 hours, and then i ended up ripping my pants and couldn’t finish. everything happens for a reason tho lol🤍
@lildurk 
