Gangsta Boo is a legend without a lot of peers. She is one of those central figures that has a lingering impact, but one that has not gotten all of her flowers yet. The rap mistress continues to bomb on fools with her new music and another album that is on the way. She talks to Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur about her past, present, and future with some co-stars like Run The Jewels, Three 6 Mafia, and others. She also answers the Megan Thee Stallion question, which looms in the background.
I wasn’t going to say anything about this, but Cappadonna has everybody laughing right now. Now let’s be clear, Cappadonna is NOT somebody to be laughing at but the album cover of his upcoming opus is a bit interesting. TARRZANN!
The Wu-Tang OG has a new album coming called TARRZANN and it has him in the jungle of sorts with a bunch of animals around him and half of his face as a lion. But, honestly, the album looks like a toddler could have done it all of the starter kit for Photoshop. I mean, seriously it really looks crazy and people are going in on the veteran rapper for it.
Some people are even offering to do the album cover for free! These are fans, not haters. FANS! These are seasoned, hardcore fans of a rapper we adore as a lyricist in the street representative of the culture! So be real clear, nobody is hating on Cappadonna right now. It’s all out of love In the comments under the album cover, which is posted on his Instagram, Cappadonna defended his choice of album art but nobody was really listening. He maintains that the album art does not really matter very much and likened it to underwear! He said it’s the music that counts. I disagree – album art still matters!
The funny thing is, he’s kind of right in this digital day and age, despite what my opinions are. In a lot of ways, we don’t care about album art! We walk around with these phones in our pockets and just play the music, we don’t even listen to the whole album in most instances. We certainly don’t buy actual albums whereas CDs or tapes ART was used to sell the music. The album art was an advertisement of sorts that helped move people into buying the music, not a real representation of what the music sounded like. So, if you had good art you saw more records and people celebrated that.
The irony of all of this is I went back and listen to a bunch of Cappadonna music and realize that he’s dropped a couple of dope albums in the last year or so LOL! I had no idea of this until this album art fiasco began! So this is a good thing we are going to make it out of this intact. By the way, I peeped he did a new video at Won World Studios in New York City which is the place where AllHipHop does a lot of work out of. So shout out to them
Rap star G Herbo has some breathing room, now that some of his travel restrictions have been lifted.
On December 2nd, 2020, the Chicago rapper was charged in a federal case accusing him of running a nationwide scam that swindled businesses around the country out of more than $1.5 million worth of goods and services.
G Herbo and five of his associates allegedly bought credit card numbers and other data off the dark web and used the information to book jets, stays at luxury hotels, rental cars, and more.
As part of the conditions of his release, G Herbo’s travel was restricted to New York and New Jersey solely for the purpose of visiting his child, as well as Massachusetts, solely for the purposes of conferring with his counsel and to attend court hearings. He was also ordered to surrender his passport.
The rapper recently requested to expand the conditions of his release, to allow him to travel for work-related reasons to and from specific performance venues on specific dates.
Judge Katherine A. Robertson recently agreed to relax the travel restrictions placed on the rapper, so he can continue to earn a living.
G Herbo is now authorized to travel and perform anywhere in the United States, so long as he gives his Probation Officer, Laura LaValley, his travel schedule to and from the venues prior to any travel.
Prior to any travel, Ms. LaValley must approve G Herbo’s itinerary.
G Herbo has pleaded not guilty to being involved in the scam and maintains he will be exonerated of the charges.
The rapper even issued a new song and video properly titled “Statement” to address the allegations.
Nicki Minaj’s#### song “Rich Sex” could end up costing her hundreds of millions of dollars.
The rap star is being sued by another Queen’s rapper known as Brinx Billions.
According to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ.com, Brinx Billions is suing Nicki for $200 million over claims that she stole the song after he played it for her.
Brinx Billions, who was once billed as Nicki’s new artist, claims he played the song for her sometime around 2016. The song ended up with Lil Wayne as a guest artist and was also released on her fourth album, Queen.
Brinx Billions says he received no credit for producing the hit song, even though he is listed as a writer according to documents from Performing Rights Organization, ASCAP.
In addition to Nicki Minaj, Brinx Billions is also sewing Young Money Records, Cash Money Records and Universal Music Group.
Bosses overseeing Prince’s affairs have been accused of undervaluing the music icon’s estate by at least half of its actual worth.
U.S. tax authorities at the Internal Revenue Service believe the “Purple Rain” legend left behind an estate worth more than $160 million – but his money managers have filed paperwork valuing his assets at just over $80 million.
Now IRS officials are taking the issue to court, demanding a payment of $32.4 million, in addition to a $6.4 million penalty for what they insist are inaccurate figures.
Estate administrators have denied the allegations, and are standing by their valuation, according to TMZ.
Prince died from an accidental drug overdose in 2016, without a will in place, leading to several legal challenges mounted by his siblings, who were named his equal heirs.
I can now speak on a rumor that I have been sitting on for months! Straight up: Rakim The God has a new album coming! That’s right, everybody scream it! The god MC IS back!
You all know, we hear a lot of things that are going on in Hip Hop but it is increasingly difficult to manage that with all of the noise in the world and social media. But this is one that I can confirm is going down!
The reason I can say something is because he has recently dropped a new song in 2021. Technically, it is not a new song, because it appears on the new Busta album. So you know it’s all real.
I know AllHipHop has a solid audience, but for those that don’t know Ra is one of the rappers that made a seismic shift in Hip Hop in the 1980s. His slower flow, deeper and more thoughtful lyrics open the door for the art in a number of ways. No matter what popped or became trendy, his legacy is more than secure in this game. When you hear that he’s coming back…you gotta look a little bit.
To be real, I am hoping that Rakim gets some help in the creation process and allows other artists to help bring him up to date, because it has been quite some time since we heard an album from him. There are numerous younger artists that would love to jump on a track with the god! And there are numerous older gods that would definitely do justice on a new project.
So let’s see what we got going on from the old school this year!
When speaking on the genre of Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop culture, you can’t have a conversation without including Pete Rock.
Forever going down in history as one of the greats, the New York native is one of the mainstays of production to come out of the East Coast, paving the way for real Hip-Hop through and through. When it comes to his beats, it was his fusion of jazz and rap that yielded some of the greatest, most heartfelt rap songs to date.
Exploding onto the scene in the 90’s as one-half of iconic duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Pete has been continuously gifting fans new music for three decades straight.
Dating back to the release of their signature timeless hit “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” in 1992, a tribute to their friends who had passed, to his own original PeteStrumentals albums chock full of samples, Pete’s passion, dedication, and talents in the lab do not go unnoticed — breaking through the barriers that separate the underground and mainstream.
Having worked with everyone from Gang Starr to A Tribe Called Quest to The Roots, Pete went on to form his own band titled The Soul Brothers. Ending the year on a high note, he unleashes PeteStrumentals 3, this time without samples!
AllHipHop: How have you been holding up with the COVID-19 pandemic?
Pete Rock: Everything’s good man, hanging in there. A producer’s life is staying in the house, staying out the way. Concentrating on being around your records, making music and making beats. Like a kid in a candy store waiting to see what you come up with next.
AllHipHop: PeteStrumentals 3 out now, how are you feeling?
Pete Rock: Oh, it was beautiful. Shout out to The Soul Brothers, everyone that’s involved in that album that helped bring that out to life. It’s something I’d been contemplating for a little while. Saying you know what, I’ve done PeteStrumentals
1 & 2 with the samples, I’d like to do the third one without any. Have the band play like it’s a drum machine and abide by direction.
AllHipHop: I’m like this does not sound like samples, this sounds like live beats right here.
Pete Rock: Yes, live joints. All by my direction and produced by me, the band interpreted everything I asked for.
AllHipHop: How does this compare to your first PeteStrumentals, released in 2001?
Pete Rock: PeteStrumentals 1 was samples, but samples of real instruments. Keyboards, guitars, etc. The new one we’re going to do is a little of both.
AllHipHop: You say “music is music; it’s what I think about it all day, every day.” What’s the reality of a day in the life of Pete Rock?
Pete Rock: It’s definitely music-filled, but also family-oriented. Building the kingdom slowly, Tru Soul Records. I have a label now that I’m very excited about. I have my first artist, Amir AKA the 25th-Hour Man. I’ve been putting snippets of what we’re doing on the Gram a little bit. It’s a mixtape called Worth Its Weight In Soul 21 Grams, shout out to Amir. I’m signing artists and doing projects, something I always wanted to do since I could do it.
AllHipHop: What’s your take on the rap game today and how it evolved?
Pete Rock: As the world turns, everything changes. For some of us, it started out a little rough and it’s gotten better. I believe even some of the new artists are more conscious of what they’re saying in their lyrics. Not everyone, but you have some people now that’s taking life more seriously and starting to talk about reality in their rhymes. I’m feeling that. I’m starting to work with some of them, so that’s a plus.
AllHipHop: Who are some of the people you’re excited to work with?
Pete Rock: I’ve worked with Kanye and Kendrick, rubbed elbows with J. Cole and talked to other young cats like Freddie Gibbs, Action Bronson. The normal Griselda, that movement’s the new spark in Hip Hop.
AllHipHop: At one point, it felt like we were in a civil war. It was contentious, how do you think we got past that? Even though we don’t rock with everything, we’re co-existing and it feels respectful.
Pete Rock: People are putting their minds, their thoughts, their feelings into the music and it’s making a difference for Hip Hop. It’s being more accepting of certain vets. It’s actually reintroducing what we did in the 90’s in this day. It’s changed and gone in a much more interesting direction, I’m happy to be involved in that. Some real good surprises and things I want to come into fruition. I don’t want to mention it but I’m definitely excited to be a part of everything that’s happened. Shout out to Busta Rhymes on his new project out there, that’s crazy. We got together and did this wonderful work on his album. Shout out to him man, that was a real big firecracker bomb towards the end of the year. Musically, one of the best releases of 2020.
AllHipHop: Will you and CL Smooth ever line back up? 1992’s Mecca and the Soul Brother (their debut) is coming on its 30th… nice time to reunite.
Pete Rock: Only time could tell. We speak, we talk, but everything’s a process. Nothing’s definite though, we’re going to have to see.
AllHipHop: What are your top pieces for MUST-HAVE technology to produce a record and album?
Pete Rock: Well me, I’ve been doing this for such a long time so I’m used to normal equipment. Everybody uses a lot of things, but when I’m in the studio, in the lab somewhere, I’m also using equipment. What I use personally at home is Pro Tools 10 with turntables, mixer, Serato, drum machines, all of the MPCs from the 2000XL to 2500 to Renaissance. It’s having fun doing what I’m doing.
AllHipHop: Word on the street Havoc of Mobb Deep started making beats because they didn’t have it in the budget to afford his tracks/beats for the first infamous album.
Pete Rock: I don’t know. Maybe they were discussing that, but I would’ve loved to lend my talents to that first album. P’s my man anyway, rest in peace to Prodigy. Havoc man, we talk here and there. We talk once in a blue. We on Instagram, we DM each other sometimes. Shout out to Mobb Deep, I would’ve loved it. I don’t know if that was the case, [laughs] but I would’ve definitely made it happen regardless. If I would’ve knew that was being said. I would’ve been like “yo, whatup!”
AllHipHop: “They Reminisce Over You” was inspired by a close friend who passed, how difficult was it for you to create that record?
Pete Rock: Very difficult, but I realized at that moment, emotions help sometimes. Especially when you don’t want to release it negatively, it helps when you’re doing something positive. Your feelings and emotions are being poured into something you’re doing and that comes out of it, whoa. That’s where my head was, it took us a while. Like every death, a very close loved one that you never really get over. You ease from it and sometimes, you still have your moments where you go and cry in the corner somewhere.
AllHipHop: You did Nas’ “This World Is Yours,” what was the energy of that session?
Pete Rock: Great. We were young, in the basement chillin’. Illmatic’s one of the best albums ever made. It was enjoyable moments in the basement: coming up with the idea and playing a couple of beats before he heard the beat he liked. When he heard it, he froze. As I was going to change the beat, he said “nah, nah, nah, let that play.” We started coming up with the ideas for the song, then we did it.
AllHipHop: Did you anticipate it]d become what it was at that time?
Pete Rock: Kinda, because everything else that I heard was like “wow, I gotta do a great job and give him something dope.” It was heavy competition silently, going on between producers on that album.
AllHipHop: That was fierce. Were you a part of all the producers wake up on a Sunday and go to this diggin’ spot?
Pete Rock: Yeah. The Roosevelt Hotel used to have record conventions in the ballroom section, downstairs of the hotel. We used to go there there and spend all our money on beats and records. [laughs] All that fly stuff that people wasn’t sampling yet.
Pete Rock
AllHipHop: How does it feel to be recognized as one of the greatest producers of all-time?
Pete Rock: Aw man, that’s wonderful because it makes me not ever want to quit. The fans do that for me. Really, the fans are so important in your career. People need to realize I take the time out and show them some love too. Thanks to my fans and supporters for that over the years. Just know that I’m always passionate and I love what I do, as far as music, producing, beatmaking, whatever. I love it and I’ll always be here until I can’t.
AllHipHop: How are you adjusting to the streaming era and social media?
Pete Rock: I mean, I think about life before social media. There was actually life more fun before all this came. I could do without it. The thing about it, it’s a tool that could be used when you’re doing your music. You could promote your music worldwide where everyone on the whole planet could see it, that’s the good part. They could do away with the rest of it, to be honest with you.
AllHipHop: You do a great job though, I envy your social. I’m like “where did he get this from?”
Pete Rock: [laughs] Thank you bro. Sometimes, you post things without a care. I posted something recently, it was a funny Stan Lee post. They flagged me for it because he was cursing and talking about the explicative word. I thought and everyone else in the comments thought it was funny, but there’s always someone I believe in the comments that reports you. I’ve never been reported before, ever. People are angry today so they’ll report you now.
AllHipHop: If you could bring back one song in 2020, what would it be?
Pete Rock: Jeez, can I have at least 5 songs? Probably a Heavy D song, maybe a Public Enemy remix, “House of Pain” or something.
AllHipHop: House of Pain was an interesting thing to me, you put an acceptable spin on it.
Pete Rock: I’m not going to take anything away from the original version because the original version is dope, it’s just my version was also dope. You had two dope versions on a dope ass hip hop record. “Jump Around” was really the thing when it came out. So to have a dope remix attached to it, it made it even 10 times better.
AllHipHop: I always felt like if I hung out with those guys, one of their guys would sneak you or steal you.
Pete Rock: [laughs] Nah they’re cool man, they’re real cool. Shout out to Everlast, we’re cool on Instagram. That’s another good thing on Instagram, you can reach out to people because everyone’s on there.
AllHipHop: You mentioned Clubhouse, Clubhouse is where we’re getting a lot of authentic stories for Hip hop.
Pete Rock: Yeah, I think it’s a good thing depending how it’s used. If it goes down like how mine went down last night with them cats, then it’s a good deal.
AllHipHop: Is there anyone that you haven’t worked with that you’d like to do an album or songs with?
Pete Rock: Hell yeah. I never worked with LL, I never did nothing with him. Or a straight up Erick Sermon record or any of the new dudes. I heard Waka Flocka rhyming on something hard like boom bap s###, I’m like “oh okay.” I’d do something with him.
AllHipHop: Waka’s very underrated.
Pete Rock: Yup, he’s dope. When he’s spitting, I was definitely blown away. I knew he could rap because he’s from New York.
AllHipHop: Can you speak on your Jamaican roots? Do you have Jamaican roots?
Pete Rock: Of course I do, my whole family. My father, my sisters and brothers were born there. My older brother, rest in peace, was born in Jamaica. Me and my younger brother were born in the Bronx, then moved to Mount Vernon man.
AllHipHop: Did that impact your music?
Pete Rock: Of course. I believe Hip Hop stems from Jamaica, to be honest. That’s where it all comes from. Shout out to Kool Herc, the godfather, for making that noticed and bringing that to life for the community. You can’t thank a man enough for something like that, because it made who we are and it gave us a life to live. That’s all owed to Kool Herc.
Beyonce has given fans a rare glimpse at her three-year-old twins Sir and Rumi in a photo and video compilation chronicling the ups and downs of 2020.
The “Irreplaceable” hitmaker, who is married to rap icon Jay-Z, has kept her youngest children largely out of the spotlight, but as she marked the start of the New Year, the superstar shared personal footage of herself spending time with her young family on social media.
In clips taken during the COVID-19 shutdown, Beyonce is featured riding in a golf cart with the twins as Rumi dances to her mom’s Megan Thee Stallion hit, “Savage Remix,” while they also show off custom child-sized versions of the singer’s Ivy Park designs for Adidas.
In another short video, Beyonce holds her son, Sir, in her lap as she asks the twins if they had a “good summer” with Rumi nodding in response.
Beyonce also proudly included footage of her eight-year-old girl Blue Ivy recording her vocals for “Brown Skin Girl” – a performance which has earned the youngster her very first Grammy Award nomination and documented the charitable work she has been doing, including helping to provide COVID-19 relief and testing to those in need
“Cheers to a New Year Beyhive!!” she captioned the post. “2020 divided us and united us. Most could not see loved ones and we felt too many losses, but we were united by our humanity. This year for me has been about celebrating joy, chasing happiness, and living in love.”
“As we all look forward and pray for new beginnings, my wish for you is that you honor yourself and those you love,” she continued. “Celebrate that you are an important individual who contributes to our beautiful collective. Here’s to a better and brighter 2021! Love, B”.
Kanye West is ready to defend his reputation against a company that claims he stole their technology and used it to cash in with his Sunday Service brand.
MyChannel claims Kanye West loved their technology and promised to invest $10 million into the brand, to help drive sales for his Sunday Service merchandise as well as Yeezy Apparel.
The company says they put in $7 million worth of work and even relocated their offices twice to please Kanye.
The founders of MyChannel claim Kanye stabbed them in the back and breached a non-disclosure agreement by stealing their technology to form his own company called YZY Tech, according to their $20 million lawsuit.
In court documents obtained by AllHipHop, Kanye is fighting back against the allegations and he’s ready to take it to trial if need be.
Kanye has denied he “engaged in any of the wrongful conduct set forth in the introductory paragraphs of the Complaint, including, but not limited to, that a partnership was formed or that they misappropriated any property from MYC,” according to Ye’s lawyer Nina D. Boyajian.
The rapper admitted he was in discussions about a potential business relationship with my channel, but denied he agreed to form any sort of partnership with the company.
Kanye also acknowledged he gave MyChannel’s bosses a term sheet, but his lawyer claims a definitive agreement between the parties was never reached, or signed.
Kanye West is demanding a judge throw the lawsuit out of court, and award him money for the fees he incurred to defend himself against the accusations.
The beef between Benzino and other Black men rages on! No, I just think it’s hilarious to see Benzino going at it with the likes of Royce da 5′ 9″ and Joyner Lucas over Eminem, but Eminem hasn’t said a word! All of this stems from an interview that Benzino did with somebody – I can’t remember – over his long term beef with Eminem! What he said didn’t really warrant any comment, IMO. But folks commented! He just outlined his grievances (AGAIN) with Eminem which is something OGs do. So, you could say he was reminiscing on the good all days!
The only thing is, his good all days involve Marshall Mathers, who is friends with Royce da 5′ 9″, one of the best rappers out right now. Royce has vigorously defended Eminem from just about anybody that has something slick to say, except Snoop Dogg who said so much that Em put it in a song! I think Royce could have let this one go because it has devolved into all sorts of stuff over the weekend that included Benzino’s daughter – Coi Leray.
Now, the whole Detroit is coming at Benzino, but they most assuredly remember when he dissed Eminem‘s daughter! That means Coi Leray is not off-limits to them, especially when she is a public figure. However, nobody’s going to tell that to Zino. He made a note that was made public that would scare me.
Benzino Beef heats up!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJoMLDxszzx/
All bets are off! This is not a good look! Stop this, guys!
I am not quite sure where Joyner Lucas comes in but he came in! The clap backs were epic if not extremely incriminating to Benzino. Benzino basically threatened Joyner Lucas and stated that he could never come to Boston, specifically Roxbury, the hood where he grew up. We all know that Benzino is a real guy, that does real things and he is really seriously nothing to play with! Paul Pierce knows this! I recommend that Joyner Lucas just let this one go. And leave the street talk to the street guys that specialize in that type of action! Joyner Lucas is a creative lyricist without few peers in this day and age but this is a different world from where he comes from! So Benzino might not be the best rapper, but he’s got those street skills! The man got shot at a funeral and lived. We know that Royce da 5 9 is nothing to play with, because he’s got a whole rocket launcher in his house somewhere. I just think, it’s time to grow up a little bit with the whole world watching in 2021.
The dude Sauce Walka – he’s a wild guy. Just when you thought his reputation was about to be tarnished, he reaches back against his up to do something so brazen we have to keep our eyes peeled on what’s next. Some of you may have already been following this because Blika 100 posted a video of him holding one of Sauce’s chains, which he reportedly put up $20,000 for. It was an iced out duck and somebody made good on delivering it to him. However, Blika 100 got the piece, it resulted in a domino effect that rippled through the Hip-Hop world. And, I have to admit, at first it was funny. We knew this was going to lead us to a place we had never gone because Sauce Walka has a solid street reputation. And he’s CRAZY!
Well, it happened. So Sauce goes on a campaign called a “paperwork party” where he goes through the hood posting up allegations of snitching by Blika 100. There was also a real party that allegedly got “shot up.” That just means some guns were fired in Sauce’s general vicinity and he didn’t stop. Apparently, Blika got robbed by some girls (some have reported them as prostitutes) he was dealing with in Vegas and he decided to pursue it legally. ALLEGEDLY! In the hood, they called that snitching. And then on top of it, that’s a major violation because it is a pair of women. So what do we have next, we have Sauce going around the hood giving this paperwork to anyone that will take it. He’s literally giving it out to mothers of children to tell their kids or what not to do in the streets. He’s posting the paperwork on phone poles in the hood (places Blicka said he couldn’t go, allegedly!). And then on top of everything, he goes on his life with the two women that allegedly robbed Blicky, and they all have a “party” talking about how he got them pinched.
Now I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t catch all of it especially the lives but I caught bits and pieces of it. It is crazy to see the lengths folks will go to protect your street reputation, but also the complete pettiness of it all is befuddling. But who am I to judge, I’ve written rumors for longer than anybody else in the game!
I am going to continue to follow this and see how far we can take it in this new year of 2021!
Blika has responded! He claims the paperwork’s fake!
Just when you thought 2020 was going to be the only weird one hereon, 2021 comes in to stomp mudholes in it! We may not have a new pandemic, but we have to return of Pastor Mase! Pastor Mason Betha, everybody! There is a new church, or at least I think it’s new, that the good Reverend will be leading straight to heaven!
The Gathering Oasis Church in Atlanta recently announced that their new leader is none other than one of Harlem’s favorite sons! That’s right y’all, Pastor Mase has gone from rapper to pastor to rapper to pastor again. Not a drop of hate, but many jokes. I don’t think we’re going to see the outrage over this, because it is a new day-n age and anything goes! Anybody can do anything to anybody to anyone in any way under the sun, because that is where we are right now!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJoB3ajhAGS/
One thing I will say is that Mase was on the app ClubHouse and he was talking vigorously about how much money he used to make as a pastor. That man used to make more money in preaching than he did in rap and he hails from the shiny suit era! And he talked about the donations he used to get outside of his salary and it was incredible! It was so incredible, that it made me want to be a preacher! Can you imagine seeing Rev. Illseed on the pulpit somewhere? There is certainly more money in that in doing this!
illseed about to talk to his street congregation.
At any rate, there isn’t much more to reveal on this side of things and I think we’re going to have a lot of social media fun with this one. When Mase was a preacher under Creflo Dollar, there was a lot of activity on social media in its infancy. So, you already know now we are going to get the full Monty. And, quite frankly as a fan of “Road Warrior” and other dystopian movies, it’s time. Let’s go full-blown burn-the-world!
The third official installment in the Power universe franchise is set to arrive in Summer 2021. Power Book III: Raising Kanan stars Mekai Curtis, Patina Miller, Omar Epps, London Brown, Malcolm Mays, Shanley Caswell, Lovie Simone, Toby Sandeman, Joey Bada$$, and Hailey Kilgore.
Once again, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is serving as an executive producer for the upcoming Starz program. Once again, 50 Cent crafted the theme song for the show. This time he tapped Memphis rapper NLE Choppa and Bronx singer-songwriter Rileyy Lanez for “Part of the Game” as well.
Power Book III is set in Southside Jamaica Queens, New York City in the 1990s. This prequel to Power (2014-2020) tells the story of a young Kanan Stark who was originally played by 50 Cent in the initial series. Mekai Curtis picks up the role for the spinoff.
Besides working as an EP and composer, 50 Cent also co-directed the “Part Of The Game” visuals. Veteran director Eif Rivera – the creator behind the camera for 50’s “Big Rich Town,” Cardi B’s “I Like It,” and Pop Smoke’s “The Woo” – worked alongside the G-Unit Film and Television boss.
Courtney A. Kemp, Mark Canton, Chris Selak, Danielle DeJesus, Shana Stein, Bart Wenrich, and Kevin Fox are also credited as executive producers for Power Book III: Raising Kanan. Rob Hardy is executive producing and directing the premiere episode. Lionsgate TV produces the series for Starz.
Originally, organizers planned for the Ashanti/Keyshia Cole Verzuz to take place on December 11, 2020. Unfortunately for many fans, the highly-anticipated matchup was postponed to January 9, 2021.
The one month delay was the result of Ashanti testing positive for COVID-19 just hours before the Verzuz event was scheduled to begin. Ashanti has now provided an update on her current medical condition.
“Feeling grateful. My parents and I got our negative results back right in time to start off the New Year healthy, happy & loved. Wishing y’all all an amazing 202WON,” wrote the New York-bred vocalist on her Instagram page.
With Ashanti being clear of coronavirus, it appears the Verzuz celebration with Cole will be able to take place this weekend as planned. Both R&B singers have an extensive discography of hits to present on Saturday night.
Ashanti’s has memorable tunes such as “Foolish,” “Baby,” “Rain on Me,” and “Always on Time.” Keyshia Cole’s catalog includes popular records like “I Should Have Cheated,” “Love,” “Let It Go,” and “Heaven Sent.”
On November 17, 2020, the alleged victim posted a 13-minute YouTube video stating that Minaj and Petty have been harassing her and her family in an attempt to get the woman to recant her story about being sexually assaulted by Petty. She even provided horrid details of what allegedly took place back on September 16, 1994, which apparently included the assailant using a weapon during the attack.
“In March of 2020, I got a call from a mutual friend of Kenneth and my brother, and he said that he could connect me to them and make this go away. When he said he could connect me to them, meaning Nicki and Kenny, and when he said he could make this go away, I thought the agreement was going to be: if I don’t speak to anybody about them they wouldn’t speak to anybody about me,” stated the woman.
She added, “What happened was this mutual person offered me $20,000 to write a letter stating that I lied about Kenny assaulting me. I didn’t want to do it. I got a phone call from Nicki Minaj herself saying she got word that I was willing to help them out in this [failing to register as a sex offender] situation.”
The alleged victim also spoke about the matter on YouTube channels like Nosey Heaux Live and Daytime Tea Time. At the time of those interviews, the accuser did not reveal her identity or show her face which led to skeptics questioning if she was actually the woman that was assaulted by Petty twenty-seven years ago.
Over the weekend, the woman did show her face on camera. In a video that was reposted to Hollywood Unlocked‘s Instagram page, the alleged victim reiterated that she believes her loved ones are being harassed by Minaj, Petty, and individuals associated with the celebrity couple.
“This message is for Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty. Tell your f###### people to leave my family alone, okay. Don’t call my f###### family, don’t call my brothers, don’t call anybody. Leave me and my family the f### alone,” said the woman in the clip which also made its way to YouTube and Twitter.
It still cannot be confirmed that the woman making these claims against Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty is the actual victim of the 1995 sexual assault case in New York City. Additionally, no evidence of their alleged acts of harassment, threats, or bribery has been provided. As of press time, Minaj nor Petty have publically spoken about the currently unproven allegations.
Cardi B is one of the most outspoken celebrities of modern times. The “WAP” hitmaker uses her social media accounts to voice her thoughts on everything from music and movies to politics and sex.
That latter topic may have landed Cardi on the Twitter app’s so-called “shadow ban” list. The entertainer addressed the possibility the platform is purposely blocking some of her 16 million followers and others from seeing all of her tweets because of something she posted.
“Twitter release me from Twitter shadowban!!! I won’t talk about suckin and f##### [no more]. I promise that was 2020 behavior!” Cardi jokingly tweeted. Her timeline is known to have adult-oriented conversations like when she recently wrote, “What’s a good movie to watch on Netflix before I start f######?”
Cardi then uploaded a tongue-in-cheek voice tweet where she directly tagged Twitter co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey. For that message, the rapper took on a British accent while asking Dorsey to please forgive her. Plus, she promised to no longer tweet about explicit content.
What’s a good movie to watch on Netflix before I start f###### ?
There’s a time & a place … girl this place is Twitter & the time was at 1am GROWN UP TIME ! Why would I talk to my 2 year old daughter like that ?like what ? https://t.co/qRuUl5gHSL
Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Carter Jr. has been calling himself the “Best Rapper Alive” for over a decade. A track titled “Best Rapper Alive” even appeared on the New Orleans-raised artist’s critically-acclaimed Tha Carter II LP in 2005.
While Wayne’s musical output is not connecting with mainstream listeners at the same level it did during his peak years, many rap fans still hold up the legend as one of the best rhymers on the planet. One of the hottest Hip Hop acts of 2020 is placing his name right alongside Weezy.
“Best rappers alive,” wrote Jonathan “DaBaby” Kirk in the Instagram caption of a photo of the North Carolina native and Lil Wayne inside a Miami studio. As of press time, DaBaby’s post has amassed more than 1.2 million likes.
These two rhymers did appear on a song together in 2020. Lil Wayne and DaBaby, as well as Tory Lanez, were guest features on the remix for Jack Harlow’s Top 10 hit “Whats Poppin.” Last year also saw Wayne drop the Funeral album. DaBaby also dropped Blame It on Baby in 2020.
After a long delay, Playboi Carti finally released Whole Lotta Red on Christmas Day. His second studio album became his first #1 album on the Billboard 200 chart.
Carti collected 100,000 first-week units for Whole Lotta Red. 2018’s Die Lit opened at #3 on the Billboard 200 with 61,000 units. Playboi Carti’s self-titled mixtape debuted at #12 with 28,000 units in 2017.
Lil Durk’s The Voice saw a huge 43 spot leap to #3 on the latest Billboard 200 rankings. It started at #46 on last week’s chart after only one day of activity. Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 landed at #5 in May 2020.
Pop Smoke’s Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon returned to the Top 5. The late rapper picked up another 46,000 units to jump back to #4. Megan Thee Stallion’s Good News (#7) and Eminem’s Music to Be MurderedBy (#10) made the Top 10 as well.
Oh what a year it was, 2020. It was a year for the history books and that includes Hip-Hop music. There was a ton of new music that kept our head on a proverbial swivel. So much so, we could hardly keep up. For years, the trend has been older gods doing more and more incredible work and the younger ones pushing the culture into uncharted waters. 2020 was no different in this uniquely Hip-Hop renaissance. There was music all over, for everybody. Big Seans And Lil Babies, Black Thoughts And Butchers named Benny – 2020 had it all.
There’s literally no way to fully encapsulate how much good stuff came out, but here are some of the best songs of the year. We’ll keep adding stuff on.
“Steak Um” – Black Thought feat. ScHoolboy Q
‘Pardon” – T.I. feat. Lil’ Baby
“Smoke & Mirrors” – Elzhi feat. Monica Blaire
“Scrape The Bowl” – Boldy James & The Alchemist feat. Benny The Butcher
“Whole World” – Earl Sweatshirt feat. Maxo
“Baptize” – Spillage Village, JID, EARTHGANG
“Ishkabibble’s” – Westside Gunn feat. Black Thought
