Overnight, news broke that Kentrell Gaulden was arrested by Los Angeles police for an outstanding federal warrant. The Baton Rouge native, better known as YoungBoy Never Broke Again, was reportedly taken into FBI custody.
Gaulden is the father of several children by multiple women. Yaya Mayweather is one of the most well-known mothers of one of YoungBoy’s offspring. She reacted to the rapper’s arrest this week on her Instagram Story.
“My day has been ruined [sad face emoji, broken heart emoji],” wrote Mayweather, the daughter of legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather. In a separate post, the social media influencer added, “#FREEKENTRELL.”
According to reports, YoungBoy was apprehended on Monday after law enforcement attempted to pull over his vehicle in the Tarzana neighborhood. The Top album creator allegedly tried to flee on foot after the car stopped.
A police dog was used to find the 21-year-old Atlantic recording artist after he supposedly ran away from the scene. Police also claimed to have found a firearm in YoungBoy’s vehicle. He was reportedly arrested and taken into custody around 1 pm PT.
YoungBoy has had several run-ins with the law throughout his life. He was among sixteen people arrested on drug and firearms charges in Baton Rouge last September. Gaulden’s attorney issued a statement claiming that his client was innocent in that case.
21 Savage caught a lot of people’s attention after he premiered his fresh pearly-whites. Over 1.5 million Instagram users liked the photos of 21’s new set of teeth. The IG post has more than 13,000 comments.
However, not everyone was expressing positivity about the Atlanta-raised rap star removing his signature gold grills. 21 became the target of social media jokes, many of which took aim at him having “fake teeth.”
I paid 75k I’ll be dammed if I let y’all say these teeth ain’t mine 😂
“I paid [$75,000]. I’ll be dammed if I let y’all say these teeth ain’t mine [face with tears of joy emoji],” tweeted Savage on Monday night. His tweet garnered over 36,000 likes.
The reactions to 21 Savage showing off his new teeth for the world were not all negative or meant to be humorous shots at the Slaughter Gang leader. Several celebrities commented under his Instagram picture.
“Very rare sell this as an NFT,” wrote 21’s Savage Mode II album collaborator Metro Boomin. Fellow Georgia representative T.I. posted, “Tuh [face with steam from nose emoji].” Chicago native Lil Durk simply commented, “21 21 21.”
New York City-raised Hip Hop artist Lil Tjay will present the “The Lil TJay Experience” concert on March 31 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. The special pay-per-view event will stream live on the global platform LiveXLive.
“Looking forward to partnering with LiveXLive on my first ever PPV. With the album coming soon, the timing was perfect. I love having the ability to connect with my fans in a unique way that brings me closer to them,” says Lil TJay.
Ticket packages for “The Lil TJay Experience” range from $15.99-$149.99. Exclusive t-shirts and hoodies can be purchased with certain ticket bundles. A limited number of VIP packages, which include a virtual meet and greet with Lil TJay, are for sale as well.
“Lil TJay is a rising star who has been gaining attention for the last few years now. This young rapper already has over 5 million followers on Instagram alone and has caught the attention of some of the biggest names in the industry from Pitchfork to New York Times to collaborating with Lil Wayne, Lil Baby, and 6lack,” says Roe Williams, Global Head of Talent and Artist Partnerships of LiveXLive.
Williams continues, “With the release of his debut studio album coming, we couldn’t be more excited to help him launch with a truly unique experience for him and his fans. This allows his superfans to have more access to his world and connect with his music through a VIP experience that you cannot get anywhere else,” stated Roe Williams, Global Head of Talent and Artist Partnerships of LiveXLive.”
Lil Tjay broke onto the national stage as a guest feature on Polo G’s 2019 single “Pop Out” which became a Top 20 hit on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart. This year saw Tjay’s Gold-certified “Calling My Phone” with 6lack climb into the Hot 100’s Top 5. The 19-year-old rhymer released his True 2 Myself project in 2019.
Belcalis “Cardi B” Almánzar once again etched her name in the music history books. The Bronx-bred entertainer’s latest single “Up” is currently the No. 1 song in America.
With “Up” hitting #1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart, Cardi is now the first female rapper to have two solo Number Ones. She has five overall Hot 100 chart-toppers which is the most for any female rapper in history.
.@iamcardib is now the first female rapper in history with two No. 1 hits on the #Hot100 with no accompanying acts ("Bodak Yellow," "Up").
Cardi has spent a total of 16 weeks atop the Hot 100 which is also a record for female rappers. Previously, she ruled the rankings with “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” “I Like It” with Bad Bunny & J Balvin, “Girls Like You” with Maroon 5, and “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion.
In addition, Cardi’s fifth #1 entry on the Hot 100 ties Drake and Ariana Grande for the most Number Ones since 2017. She also adds her name to an exclusive list of Hip Hop acts to have at least five No. 1s. The only other rappers to achieve that feat are Drake (8), Sean “Diddy” Combs (5), Eminem (5), and Ludacris (5).
“Up” got a boost in sales and streams following Cardi’s controversial appearance at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards on March 14. The 28-year-old superstar’s “Up/WAP” set featuring Megan Thee Stallion was heavily criticized by right-wing political pundits like Candace Owens. The conservative backlash likely drove more traffic to streaming platforms to hear the record and watch the performance.
Cardi B wrote on Instagram:
I want God to come see me in my dreams when I take my nap today so I can kiss his feet and tell him how much I love him !!! Yoooooo s### is amazing yoooooo. I got no words. Actually I got a lot of words but I can’t type it all. NUMBER 1!!!!!
She later added:
It’s sad that when I win people gotta scramble with lies for my success. Like they ain’t saw everybody, people coming out Amazon trucks and ambulances dancing my s###. They love to run with that “Payola “ to make them feel better. Mind you, I didn’t [debut] number 1 because of my low radio play and WAP barely made radio cause it was so explicit yet still made number 1. Look at the second slide look at my AirPlay (radio) compare to other artist radio spins. WHEN YOU START WINNING THE STORIES START SPINNING!!! Imma [address] all the hate on my album tho wait on it!!!
Jay-Z, the multi-hyphenate who has been shaking up Hip-Hop for almost 30 years, has recently set the record for having the highest-selling non-sport trading card.
The news was announced on the corporate Instagram account of the Trading Cards & Collectibles Auction House responsible for facilitating the deal, Goldin Auctions.
On Friday, they posted an image of the 2005 Topps Chrome JAY-Z 1/1 Superfractor autograph in promotion of the auction. “Mixing it up with this Jay-Z One of One Superfractor Autograph…Hova! Lot 243, Current Bid: $2,200,” the post read.
After the sale, the company accented the victorious occasion with another post, “This is a public service announcement… a Jay-Z Topps Chrome Superfractor RC Auto 1/1 just sold for $105,780 via @goldinauctions. That marks the all-time record for a non-sports/TCG card.”
It has been reported that the starting minimum bid was $500, but within 49 bids, the auction hit the six-digit mark. Prophetically, the card has “Signs of Stardom” captioned across the front, and directly under it is the “Blueprint” artist’s sharpied signature over a reflective (silver) strip.
Goldin Auctions gave the card a Mint 9 Grading and is apparently a “one-off memorabilia.”
NBA Youngboy is in Federal custody, after a wild incident with the Los Angeles Police Department earlier today (March 22nd).
According to reports, the LAPD, along with the Feds, attempted to stop the rapper in the city due to an outstanding federal warrant.
During the traffic stop, police found a gun inside of the vehicle. The rap star managed to run away from the scene in an attempt to avoid arrest, but he was ultimately caught.
The police canvased the area with a K-9, and the dog found the rap star hiding nearby. NBA Youngboy, born Kentrell Gaulden, is currently in federal custody.
While the exact charges in the warrant which triggered the arrest are unclear, in February, Baton Rouge prosecutors revealed NBA Youngboy was in the crosshairs of the FBI, for possessing a firearm by a convicted felon.
Fans of the rapper started worrying about the rap star over the weekend, after he went live on Instagram to declare to the world that he was feeling “lost.”
Megan Thee Stallion’s mother predicted she would win a Grammy.
The 26-year-old rapper recently won Best New Artist, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance at the 63rd Grammy Awards, and her late mother, rapper Holly Thomas, who passed away in 2019, knew that her daughter would one day pick up one of the prestigious awards.
300 Entertainment CEO Kevin Liles told Variety: “Her mom always said she would win a Grammy, so this moment was the culmination of years and years of work, and even her mom’s career.”
Megan joined 300 Entertainment last year and Liles says her win was a win for the independent sector too.
He said: “We’re competing with companies that are five times bigger than us. We’re operating with no red tape — we just yell down the hall.
“Sometimes when it’s too big, it’s no longer a family business — it becomes a corporate business. Everyone at 300 knows everything about Meg. I can tell you, when we Facetimed after she won that first Grammy, she had the biggest smile on her face.
“Independents are starting to have a voice that you can’t control and can’t curate. When you think about Megan’s artist-development story or any young artist who was working a day job and, because of TikTok or YouTube or a mixtape, becomes (an) overnight sensation – that’s because technology has empowered independents.
“When we started 300, we knew we had the mindset of an independent but the muscle of a major. And being independent doesn’t mean you’re doing it alone — independent artists just need the right partners who will bring them the best value proposition.”
Aretha Franklin’s family has made it clear it is not supporting the much-anticipated “Genius: Aretha” series, which debuts on National Geographic on Sunday evening (March 21st), insisting it’s full of fiction.
Cynthia Erivo is winning early acclaim for her role as the Queen of Soul in Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ new eight-part project, but Aretha’s granddaughter is far from happy about the show.
“This movie has to go,” she said in a new TikTok video. “As the immediate family, we feel that it’s important to be involved with any biopic of my grandma’s life, as it’s hard to get any accurate depiction of anyone’s life without speaking to the ones closest to them.
“During the process of writing, directing, and filming this movie, we’ve reached out to ‘Genius’ as a family on multiple occasions, where we have been disrespected and told we will not be worked with. As the immediate family – emphasis on immediate – we do not support this film and we ask that you also do not support this film, as we feel extremely disrespected, and we feel there will be many inaccuracies about my grandmother’s life.”
Her father and Aretha’s son, Kecalf Franklin, supported his daughter, telling Rolling Stone, “What we’ve found out in the past is that usually when people don’t want to work with you, that is a prelude to some type of unprofessional behavior or a prelude to some type of untruth or slander… That’s usually the case when people say that they don’t want to work with you.”
“Genius: Aretha,” which follows on from National Geographic anthology series on Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, chronicles the soul legend’s rise to the top from her roots as a teenage single mom in Alabama.
TV bosses have acknowledged they made no contact with Aretha Franklin’s family while making the series, but they insist it is meticulously researched.
“We received the message from the family, we hear them and acknowledge their concern for Ms. Franklin’s legacy,” a representative told Rolling Stone. “We think we have a shared goal here – to honor and celebrate the life and legacy of Aretha Franklin.
“We can tell you that everyone who worked on Genius: Aretha approached telling her story with the intention to respect Ms. Franklin in every aspect of the series and in every decision we made.
“We worked with many people who knew Ms. Franklin – from (music mogul) Clive Davis to members of her family’s estate – to make sure we told her story in an honest and authentic way.”
The Franklin family is working with the producers of “Respect,” the new Aretha Franklin biopic starring Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, which is slated to hit cinemas this summer.
Kecalf Franklin added: “We’re actually working with MGM and on their movie. I really can’t speak on that one because we’re in negotiations still with them.
“We’re just trying to make sure that the integrity of my mom is intact. We have to protect her and her legacy at all costs. We just want to make sure that if someone does want to do a project on our mother and grandmother, that first and foremost, they try and contact the inner core family and see if we have some input, maybe try to work with us to see if there’s something that we can contribute to your story.”
Eddie Murphy won’t be reviving his role as Axel Foley in another “Beverly Hills Cop” film unless the script is perfect.
A fourth movie in the action-comedy franchise has been in development at Netflix for years, but Eddie insists he’s in no rush to start work on the project, as he has yet to see a script he likes.
The funnyman, who recently dropped the sequel to another beloved film, “Coming To America,” told Desus & Mero, “They’ve been trying to make another Beverly Hills Cop for 15 years now. Right now, Netflix has it, and they’re trying to develop a script. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing next. But, I’m not doing nothing until the script is right.”
“Bad Boys for Life” directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are helming the revival of the franchise and they confirmed last year that a first draft of the script was being written.
Adil said, “We’re still involved in that project, and there’s a screenwriter now on it that’s going to try to write a first draft, or a first treatment at least with the story. So we’re going to see what the first version will be… When I was a kid, it was one of my favorite movies. It was the quintessential Jerry Bruckheimer movie – a buddy-cop, humor action movie… And of course, Eddie Murphy is an idol.”
To commemorate his life, his estate has dropped a new single entitled, “Nutshell PART 2” featuring Busta Rhymes & Redman.
The posthumous banger will be released on Smokin’ Needles Records/AWAL Records and is accompanied by a music video that features popouts from Busta Rhymes, Redman, Q-Tip, and Consequence.
The slick visual is also directed by Tony Reames and produced by Dion ‘Rasta Root’ Liverpool (who also made a cameo in the jam).
The video will make fans emotional as it was shot before his transition. To see a vibrant Phife rhyming alongside his brothers makes it provoking to watch.
Phife’s disease, Type 2 Diabetes, took him from those who loved him and his genius far too soon.
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, African American adults are 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with the disease, 2.3 times more likely to be hospitalized for lower limb amputations due to the disease, and twice as likely to die from the disease than their white counterparts.
The release of “Nutshell PART 2” will lead up to his highly-anticipated album, Forever.
Phife, also known as “The Five-Footer” and “Malik The Five-Foot Freak,” was a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning group, A Tribe Called Quest.
A native of Queens, New York, his contribution to the culture can be seen by the multiple lanes of expressions that many take advantage of now. The heavy presence of sports in lyrics today was birthed from his brilliant pen.
Fans have missed Phife and are glad to hear his voice on “NP2.”
Redman started promoting the song on Twitter.
“ALERT ALERT ALERT!! Phife Dawg ‘Nutshell Pt. 2’ Video ft. @BustaRhymes drops on Monday @phifeforever…LES GO WE GOT YOU BRO!!” Redman tweeted.
Busta also made a heartfelt post: “IT DON’T STOP!!! I KEEP TELLIN’ Y’ALL WE ARE NEVE TAKIN’ OUR FEET OFF THE GAS PEDAL!!! BRAND NEW @phifeforever ft. The Dragon & @redmangilla VIDEO DROPPIN’!!! 3.22.21 PHIFE WE GOT YOU KING!!”
“I want God to come see me in my dreams when I take my nap today so I can kiss his feet and tell him how much I love him,” Cardi B said. “Yoooooo s### is amazing yoooooo .I got no words. Actually I got a lot of words but I can’t type it all 😩😂NUMBER 1!!!!!”
“Up” adds to Cardi B’s collection of #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart.
Her songs “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” “I Like It,” “Girls Like You,” and almost controversial song to date, “WAP,” have all ascended to the highest position on the chart as well.
The sales and spins of “Up” and “WAP” soared in the wake of Cardi B’s controversial Grammy performance of the songs with Megan Thee Stallion on Sunday (March 14th.)
It’s the fact that I was getting dragged by my p#### hairs all week due to my performance but Everytime some1 watch the performance it gained streams and also introduced new people to my songs 😩🤣🤣🤣🤣😩😩.Thank you BG and sweet beautiful Americans 🇺🇸😜 pic.twitter.com/SngD7MIx4J
Their raunchy performance on a huge bed, flanked by stripper poles angered many conservatives including Tucker Carlson and Candice Owens.
Cardi and Candice got into a nasty back and forth, which resulted in a threat off of legal action against the rapper.
Candice has threatened Cardi with a lawsuit over a photoshopped image she posted to Twitter, claiming the talking head’s husband had an affair with her brother.
“I lost too many people once I changed myself,” Armani White croons over church organs as he reflects on personal challenges in “Grateful.”
On the new single, the West Philly rapper takes time out to celebrate his accomplishments while chronicling all that he lost in light of those wins. This song arrives on the heels of his previous single titled “Danny Mac,” which was premiered on AllHipHop in December of last year.
The streaming numbers skyrocketed after a clip of Armani jumping out of a moving Tesla hit social media a few weeks ago.
Armani speaks on “Grateful,” “My entire life has felt like a series of blessings and curses no one could’ve prepared for. I spent so much time blaming myself for things that went wrong, I forgot to blame myself for all the things that went right. There were so many blessings sent as reminders that I’m on the right path, I can only be grateful I’m still here and able to receive all of it.”
“Grateful” features a soulful choir and soothing background vocals, perfect for the vulnerability present in the song. Armani touches on a fatal house fire from his childhood where he lost four family members and how it’s molded him through the years.
The record focuses on things that’s kept him grounded throughout the years, stressing the importance of his music expressing those same roots.
The new release also arrives in conjunction with the NBA gifting Armani White his very own “Earned Jersey.”
My Saturday was amazing. I sat in front of a phone and watched a battle between a pair of titans. Rae and Ghost! Raekwon and Ghostface of the Wu-Tang Clan stepped up as brothers and battled for the people. This was the first Verzuz battle as Triller is now the owner of the brand created by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. Let me say: this is not a hate post, but just an observation.
The battle was incredible, but they hovered around 100k on IG, give or take a few thousand people in either direction. For me, it just did not make sense that these two greats are only getting that many viewers. I did not check the numbers on Triller the same way I did not check when they were down with Apple. Anyway, lets discuss possible reasons why.
It was spring again, to quote Biz Markie. The battle happened on the first day of Spring 2021 at 8pm on a Saturday. This means that on the East coast, people were still out and about enjoying the weather. And in the other areas of the nation, it was even earlier! Nobody was really on there computer and scared of Covid. The weather had an impact!
I just said it, but the days are longer and people are clearly sick of Covid. Their battle took place during spring break and people are going mad in the streets. I know that these gents don’t necessarily resonate with spring breakers, but I am sure there is some impact. I think people are dying to get out of the house.
The Apple effect. Apple did a considerable amount of marketing and promo for these battles. They may have lost some of the steam, because of decreased promotion. They got a lot of press when the company was sold, but that may not translate into viewers.
It might just be TOO HIP-HOP! When they did the battle, they were picking JOINTS! If you were not from the rolling 90s era, you may have been lost in the sauce!! It was an awesome battle for us “heads” though.
There is no 5th. I just want to say to keep up the good work!! That was a great time!
Rapper Big Pun, who passed away over 20 years ago, will finally be honored with a street named after him in his native Bronx, New York.
AllHipHop broke the initial story back in December and now the media, family, friends and family of Christopher “Big Pun” Rios will be honored in a most befitting fashion.
Confirmed attendees include Pun’s widow and wife at the time of his death Liza and their three children, Star, Vanessa and rapper Chris “Dragon” Rivers. They have steadfastly kept the rapper’s legacy alive.
“Just to think that just 12 years ago me and my family was homeless. Tomorrow, we’ll be making history as our name will go up under Fordham Road an Iconic block for a Legend,” she said on social media.
Big Pun Plaza will be located at the corner of Fordham Road and Grand Concourse in The Bronx.
Big Pun emerged at the end of the Golden Era of Hip-Hop in the aftermath of Big and Pac’s tragic deaths. A member of Fat Joe’s Terror Squad, he helped bring Joe back to the forefront and also helped New York maintain a dominant presence as Hip-Hop became a global force. He also became the first solo Latino rapper to go platinum with his debut, certified classic album Capital Punishment. Capital Punishment, which dropped in 1998, was a commercial success, skyrocketing high atop the Billboard 200.
Tragically, Pun died of a fatal heart and respiratory failure on February 7, 2000, after his weight went up to nearly 700 pounds. By that time, his legacy was in stone. His second album would drop in August of 2000 and then Endangered Species in 2001. Producer Domino, who worked on Capital Punishment, released a Pun EP titled “Bronx Legends Never Die,” a compilation of rare songs.
Big Pun has numerous murals in New York, particularly The Bronx, but Big Pun Plaza is an official honor similar to the way Christopher ‘Notorious B.I.G.’ Wallace Way pays homage to a legendary Brooklyn peer. AllHipHop will continue to give updates on Big Pun Plaza as they become available.
Jacksonville’s own Tokyo Jetz let loose her debut studio album on March 19, 2021. The southern-bred Grand Hustle representative decided to title the collection Cancel Culture.
“I’ve noticed how over the past few years; we live in this new culture where we ‘cancel’ people for their mistakes and try to take everything they’ve worked hard for away instead of using it as a teachable moment,” states Jetz. “Celebrities are under a microscope so everything we do is judged in the public eye.”
She continued, “But the people who do the most judging make mistakes as well, we just can’t see them. Once I realized the only person who can cancel me is myself it gave me the motivation to go back in the studio and record my truth for myself and for my family.”
Last year, Tokyo Jetz faced significant backlash after joking about the death of George Floyd, the African-American man who was killed while in the custody of Minneapolis law enforcement. Footage of Derek Chauvin healing on Floyd’s neck for nearly 9 minutes sparked global protests against systemic racism and police brutality.
Jetz eventually apologized for telling a man on camera “I’m gonna ‘George Floyd’ your m############ ass.” She later went on to say, “First and for most, I want to just apologize to the family, to people out on the frontlines, to people who actually stand up for us. I don’t want nobody to take nothing I’m saying as an excuse.”
The apology vid also included Jetz discussing how she, her son, or another loved one could be victims of racially-motivated excessive violence perpetrated by the police. The Florida native added, “I made a bad decision. I made a joke out of a situation that’s serious as f###. And I promise you anything that you can decide to say to me I’ve told myself 10 times worse.”
Cancel Culture is a 14-track effort that includes guest features by Kevin Gates, Toosii, Tokyo Vanity, and Tokyo Jetz’s label head Tip “T.I.” Harris. An official music video for “YAK” with Jackboy hit YouTube on the same day as the album.
Previously, Tokyo Jetz dropped 2017’s Viral and 2018’s Bonafide. She also contributed to Hustle Gang’s We Want Smoke compilation in 2017 along with B.o.B, London Jae, Translee, Yung Booke, RaRa, Young Dro, Trae Tha Truth, and more.
Queen’s femcee Durgaveli, by way of Bushwick Brooklyn, is a wordsmith whose wordplay and bar structure is nearly unmatched. This time she teams up, once again, with Brooklyn producer, City; a young prodigy whose discography speaks for itself. Together, they bring a refreshing sound that’s an ode to the city that raised them and also a representation of the melting pot that is New York City.
The bounce heavy production is met with Durgaveli’s aggressive delivery and City’s smooth flow on the beats. The video is a reminder of what pre-COVID life was, and what it could soon be once again.
While it’s hard to fathom that it’s been over a year since New York City has been impacted by this pandemic, and even as vaccines rollout, restrictions are being lifted, and the weather gets warmer, the boroughs will undoubtedly be “Back Outside.”
Is the Atlanta-bred Hip Hop trio finally ready to drop their long-awaited fourth studio LP? Offset, one-third of the Quality Control Music-backed group, is hinting to his 18.4 million Instagram followers that is the case.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMpdL7lJgFi/
Over the weekend, Offset posted a clip from what appeared to be a music video to his Instagram page. The Father of 4 album creator simply captioned the snippet, “Culture 3.” The post currently has over 2 million views and over 13,000 comments.
Offset also uploaded a photo of himself standing in front of a green Rolls Royce with a caption that read, “Time for the BIG 3.” The rapper’s Culture III teasers arrived during the same time period when there was a lot of conversation on social media about Quavo and Saweetie’s breakup.
Migos’ original Culture was released in 2017 and went on to be nominated for Best Rap Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. The sequel hit DSPs in 2018. Both LPs debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Culture is certified Platinum by the RIAA. Culture II is certified 2x-Platinum.
Chika is known to be very opinionated on her social media accounts. One of her recently presented thoughts about Selena Gomez led to fans of the Pop singer filling up the Grammy-nominated rapper’s mentions with hate-tweets.
The stan backlash on Twitter apparently began after one user asked Chika what is her favorite thing about Selena Gomez. Chika quote-tweeted the person’s question and then responded, “Beautiful gowns.”
That seemingly harmless answer was actually a reference to a viral moment from Aretha Franklin’s career. The late R&B legend was once asked to share her views on a list of modern-day female performers.
Franklin praised the talents of other “divas” like Adele, Alicia Keys, and Whitney Houston. However, her response about Taylor Swift was viewed by some as a polite way to throw shade at the Pennsylvania native.
“Great gowns, beautiful gowns” was all the Queen of Soul had to say about Swift. That response has since become an internet meme as a way to jokingly criticize an artist that is perceived as not having strong vocal abilities.
Selena Gomez’s Twitter followers picked up on Chika’s tweet and started slamming the Once Upon a Time EP creator. Chika’s reactions to the online heat suggested she was taking the backlash in stride.
“I deadass can’t even be mad at the stans. Go up for your queen. I coulda kept my compliment to myself [for real, for real] [face with tears of joy emoji]. I respect it,” tweeted Chika. “Internet teenagers think that fun shade means you dislike someone [in real life]. Chile, I don’t know ha. Some s### is just objectively funny.”
The Warner Records signee later added, “Even tho her fans wylin, I’m not gonna actually say anything mean about the girl (and ask that my fans don’t either). The joke isn’t to be cruel. This was a fun kiki with the girls. Stan culture is part of the sport. Have at it!”
Ah, yes. A tweet from when I was 14 is why you’re upset. Aren’t y’all like 14 saying dumb s### on the internet, like… as we speak? https://t.co/XlGgHkPL4s
“I have an album with Diamond D and a new Black Star album with Yasiin Bey on the way,” Talib Kweli told AllHipHop.com in 2020. The idea of a reunited Black Star excited many of the duo’s diehard fans at the time.
Nearly a year later, Kweli is still teasing the possibility of the two Brooklynites finally releasing the follow-up to 1998’s classic Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star album. A few social media pictures have reignited the intrigue.
Kweli posted a photo of himself and Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) on Instagram over the weekend. The People’s Party podcast host tagged his musical partner as well as the verified Black Star IG account.
Both the @talibkweli and the @blackstarkeepshining Instagram pages also uploaded a pic of the “Definition” performers with DJ Premier as part of a birthday shoutout. The legendary Hip Hop producer turned 55 on March 21.
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star introduced the two New York City-bred rappers to a larger audience. They each went on to have successful solo careers, and many rap enthusiasts considered them among the top emcees of their generation.
Last year, Kweli also explained to AllHipHop.com one reason why the collaborative body of work has not been released yet. He said, “Trying to find the right deal for the Black Star album. There are a few on the table, but we have to choose the right situation and roll this out properly. The people deserve that.”
The breakup of Quavo and Saweetie was one of the biggest stories in Hip Hop in recent days. One rumor that began circulating post-split centered around the Migos member allegedly taking back a car he gifted to his then-girlfriend.
Quavo reportedly gave Saweetie a Bentley as a Christmas present in 2020. According to TMZ, stories of the luxury vehicle being repossessed from the “My Type” rapper are completely false.
Sources directly connected to Quavo tell TMZ … he didn’t repo the Bentley, and anything suggesting otherwise is flat-out false. Reports surfaced Saturday that Quavo sent the Repo Man out to Saweetie’s home in the wee hours of the morning to take the car back.
Saweetie and Quavo began dating around 2018. News that their relationship came to an end was confirmed when the self-described Icy Girl tweeted she is single and suggested that Quavo was unfaithful.
“I’m single. I’ve endured too much betrayal and hurt behind the scenes for a false narrative to be circulating that degrades my character. Presents don’t band aid scars and the love isn’t real when the intimacy is given to other women,” posted Saweetie.
Quavo addressed what he called “false narratives” by tweeting, “I had love for you and disappointed you did all that. You are not the woman I thought you were. I wish you nothing but the best.” Saweetie responded by writing, “Take care.”
I’m single. I’ve endured too much betrayal and hurt behind the scenes for a false narrative to be circulating that degrades my character. Presents don’t band aid scars and the love isn’t real when the intimacy is given to other women.
I know you want to make this into a show so I’ll play my part just this one time. I don’t normally put my business out there, especially my personal life. I feel the need to address this so there are no false narratives.
