Before their infamous rap battle in 2015, Drake and Meek Mill collaborated on tracks like “Amen” and “R.I.C.O.” Once they got past their highly-publicized beef, the two rap stars reunited on Meek’s “Going Bad” three years later.
Drake and Meek might be back together again. According to social media blogger DJ Akademiks, the OVO Sound chief and the Dream Chasers captain are in the West Indies filming new visuals.
I heard Drake and Meek in Bahamas shooting a music video…hmmm. Heard that content will soon fwd.
“I heard Drake and Meek in [the] Bahamas shooting a music video…hmmm. Heard that content will soon fwd,” tweeted Akademiks on Wednesday. The former Everday Struggle host did not provide any further information about the supposed song.
Neither Meek Mill nor Drake have publicly confirmed Ak’s report about the alleged record/video. Drake is currently prepping to release his next body of work which is tentatively titled Certified Lover Boy. It is rumored to hit DSPs in the near future.
Certified Lover Boy will be Drizzy’s first studio LP since 2018’s Scorpion. Meek Mill’s 2018 Grammy-nominated Championships is his most recent album. The Philadelphian let loose the Quarantine Pack EP in November. Drake dropped the Dark Lane Demo Tapes compilation last May.
The new year of 2021 is already off to a rough start, but trying to maintain a positive and hopeful outlook can be beneficial to sustaining good mental health. Hip Hop artist Kid Cudi is also advocating that the unashamed release of emotions is healthy as well.
“Cryin cuz [it’s] good for me. Been [dealing with] some s### lately and needed this release. Miss my daughter, my mom. For anyone [going] thru it [crying] helps,” tweeted Cudi to his 2.5 million followers.
Cryin cuz its good for me. Been dealin w some s### lately and needed this release. Miss my daughter, my mom. For anyone goin thru it cryin helps.
Nearly ten thousand users retweeted Cudi’s social media message about the value of shedding tears. The tweet garnered more than 96,000 likes and more than a thousand comments.
Cudi has been very open about his mental health struggles. In 2016, the Cleveland-bred rapper born Scott Mescudi checked himself into a rehab facility for depression and suicidal urges.
Many Cudi fans view the 36-year-old musician/actor as one of the voices of his generation because albums like Man on the Moon: The End of Day address dealing with anxiety. His music is cited by other entertainers such as Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky, Juice WRLD, Denzel Curry, and Jaden Smith as being heavily influential on their work.
Fellow Chicago rapper Lil Durk is one person that is committed to keeping Von’s name and legacy alive. The Only the Family leader just released a brand new music video featuring his late musical protégé.
“I feel like dropping something tonight,” tweeted Durk at 3:40 pm ET on Wednesday. Ten hours later The Voice album creator returned to Twitter to post a link to the visuals for “Still Trappin'” with King Von.
Durk also recently paid tribute to Bennett on his Instagram page. He uploaded a photo of himself wearing a jacket with Von’s face on the back. The picture’s caption read, “I wish I was there to watch your back v.ROY but I know you watching mine.”
“Today, I’m ordering a citywide curfew for the District of Columbia from 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6, until 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 7,” tweeted Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday at 2:30 pm.
Bowser was forced to institute the order because thousands of Donald Trump supporters gathered in the city to protest against the Congress certifying Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. Those pro-Trump protests turned violent when a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building forcing lawmakers and their staff to take shelter.
Today, I'm ordering a citywide curfew for the District of Columbia from 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6, until 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 7. pic.twitter.com/lp6Pt3DcYC
The riot at the Capitol reportedly led to the death of 4 people, including 35-year-old Trump follower Ashli Babbitt who was shot by a Capitol Police officer at the scene. DC Police Chief Robert Contee III confirmed three other people died from medical emergencies sustained as a result of the Trump mob’s siege.
Around 10:45 pm ET, Mayor Bowser issued another statement announcing she is extending the public emergency declaration for 15 days. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared a 6 pm-6 am curfew for the cities of Alexandria and Arlington. He also issued a state of emergency. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced he authorized Maryland State troopers and 500 National Guard members to assist law enforcement in DC.
I have issued Mayor’s Order 2021-003, extending the public emergency declared earlier today for a total of 15 days, until and unless provided for by further Mayoral Order.
All Americans should be outraged by this attack on our nation’s Capitol. This is a heinous and violent assault on the heart of our democracy. I will not stand for this, and neither should any American.
Joe Biden will become the 46th President of the United States. After winning the 2020 presidential election in November by 7 million popular votes and 74 Electoral College votes, the U.S. Congress formally certified Biden as the President-Elect early this morning.
The ratification of the election came after Donald Trump backers barged into the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday. The rioters attacked law enforcement, looted Congress members’ offices, damaged property, and tried to orchestrate a coup against the U.S. government.
Trump purposely incited his supporters minutes before the ill-fated raid at the Capitol. During a speech to his defenders, the current President vowed to “never concede” the election despite losing over 50 court cases concerning his inaccurate claims of widespread voter fraud.
It looks like Trump, or someone in his inner circle, is retreating on his declaration of never conceding. Multiple media outlets are now reporting that the defeated Republican politician has accepted that he will have to leave the White House on January 20 or before.
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” reads a statement from Trump. This is the first time Trump has publicly admitted Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States.
Trump was not able to address the nation via his favored social media app. Twitter locked out the president’s account for 12 hours after breaking the platform’s rules on posting election-related disinformation and glorifying violence. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube removed a video message from Trump where he pushed debunked conspiracy theories about the election and proclaimed his love for the violent mob at the Capitol.
We've assessed two policy violations against President Trump's Page which will result in a 24-hour feature block, meaning he will lose the ability to post on the platform during that time.
After a day of unrest in the nation’s capital, Congress has certified Joe Biden as the next president and Kamala Harris as the next vice president of the United States. The two Democrats will officially take office on January 20, 2021, at noon ET.
Early Thursday morning, the Senate and House voted to reject Trump loyalists’ challenges to Biden’s 2020 presidential victory. Republican Vice President Mike Pence affirmed the former Vice President’s 306-232 Electoral College win.
Republican lawmakers objected to the election results in Arizona where Biden won 11 Electoral College votes and in Pennsylvania where Biden picked up the state’s 20 EC votes. Both attempts to overthrow those elections failed even though over 100 Republicans did vote to disenfranchise millions of American voters based on false conspiracy theories.
This development followed pro-Donald Trump insurrectionists storming into the U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Wednesday afternoon. According to reports, four people died as a result of the rioters’ failed coup attempt.
Historians have noted that this is the first time the U.S. Capitol had been overrun since the British military burned the building in 1814 during the War of 1812. The U.S. Capitol Police is facing serious scrutiny for not being prepared to handle the crowd of radical Trump supporters.
The Washington, DC police department also said they discovered two pipe bombs in the city – one was placed outside the Democratic National Committee and the other outside the Republican National Committee. At least 52 people have been arrested, according to law enforcement.
For rappers, podcasting has become what clothing companies were for them in the 90s and early 2000s.
Many have looked to define themselves outside of picking up the mic. Sure, social media may have given their fans viable options that peek into their personal lives, but with podcasting, the public gets a chance to see them in their element, address issues important to them, some of their celebrity friends, and the ones that do it well get paid for it.
AllHipHop.com has composed a list of rappers with podcasts that have been making noise over the last year entertaining the masses with intriguing conversations.
I know T.I. and some others like to refer to Atlanta as the new Wakanda. But I have to push back on that idea and I will continue to do so until the whole country for Black people changes. Atlanta is a city and Wakanda is a fictitious nation in the Black Panther world. GIVE US ALL FREE!
2 Chainz has stepped up in a way Tip did previously and said that out of town are to blame for some of the issues facing the city. This actually might have some validity to it because people from New York have been migrating to Atlanta since the 1990s. But at this point don’t you become in Atlantean? I don’t know, you tell me. Nevertheless Atlanta has a lot of issues and they have, I admit, been supremely impactful especially around this election season.
When King Von died, it seemed like everything changed and they started pointing fingers at other people. Fair enough, because that was definitely of terrible matter that was created by people outside of Atlanta. But what is so attractive about Atlanta the people go there so much? I think 2 Chainz and others are well within their right to feel bad about the violence that’s going on because Black people all over the world are fighting to keep things peaceful among other Black people. We don’t seem to have a problem with violence on white people, just Black people. So I commend him for stepping up and trying to stem the tide of violence.
Still, we have to understand that no place lives in a vacuum. No city is an island and if we do think that then we are sorely mistaken and missed the bigger picture. So I urge 2 Chainz to consider opening up the conversation to include other cities and other places so that we understand that this violence is a problem we all must face head on. If, for some insane reason, they are able to stop the violence in Atlanta, but the whole rest of the country is messed up, what does that mean?
It means nothing!
It means black people in America are still messed up in Atlanta would be the anomaly!
On January 6th, as Congress (both the Senate and the House of Representatives) gathered to certify the electoral college, a ceremonial process to confirm President-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris, Pro-Trump supporters storm on Washington D.C. to protest the governing body’s formal approval of Biden’s victory.
With guns, knives and more Trump flags than American Flags, the anarchists did a full John Q on the Capitol, acting an effing fool and basically proving what we already know … there are two laws of the land … two ways folks are dealt with … two realities that still exist between those from the diaspora and those who have been tricked to believe that their America is endangered of being stolen.
Remember 45 tweeted this out last summer?
Anarchists, Agitators or Protestors who vandalize or damage our Federal Courthouse in Portland, or any Federal Buildings in any of our Cities or States, will be prosecuted under our recently re-enacted Statues & Monuments Act. MINIMUM TEN YEARS IN PRISON. Don’t do it! @DHSgov
I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison, per the Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act, or such other laws that may be pertinent…..
As the nation is under attack in what is the closest thing to Civil War this generation will experience, many Hip-Hop artists and influencers have taken to social media to weigh in on the riot on the Capitol.
Atlanta rapper Ludacris took to Instagram to simply question what happened with National Guard during this “protest.”
With one image, he showed the clear discrepancy in how the nation’s law enforcement responded during the Black Lives Matter protest of the summer and this violent riot that happened at the crack of 2021.
Ludacris Screenshot from Instagram
Talib Kweli, one who never shies away from calling out Pro-Trump supporters and their subversive actions, reminded fans that he has been warning that these people were not to be slept on.
He captioned, “I told you that this was a coup being planned. America is over. Trump supporters have exposed the ugliness of our country. Everyone who supported @realdonaldtrump is responsible for this madness. He was the law and order candidate right? Trump is the Joker. He just wants to see the world burn. Imagine if black folks did this. We would ALL be shot on sight. This is white supremacist terrorism. Vanilla ISIS. I’m listening to the police chief saying “nobody could’ve predicted this.” FALSE. Y’all just don’t listen to black folks. Ever. We told y’all this would happen. Like I said years ago #MAGAISTERRORISM”
While the GOP tried to reduce Cardi B’s voice down to her hit single, “WAP,” using her sexuality as a weapon against her advocacy and support of the Biden-Harris ticket, she used 2020 to cement herself as a powerful player in this last election.
She is still using her platforms to a) inform her fans to be safe and b) to challenge discrimination and the inequity of the actions of law enforcement.
And y’all better NOT BE OUTSIDE!!These are wild thugs out here ! Stay home.This ain’t our business.Stay at home safe but dangerous!
T.I., a man who is usually “expeditious” in coming up with ways to talk about almost everything, used Tamika Mallory’s post to express his sentiments, noting the following in a caption: “Straight like that🎯 Our leader has spoken. Let them tear up they s###.🤷🏽♂️ @tamikadmallory ✊🏽”
Another rapper who chimed in, Jeezy, used his platform to break down his feelings about the events that basically shook not only the city but the entire United States.
While P!NK is not an emcee, her swag has always associated her with the culture. The “Philly” girl from LaFace, who happens to be white, took to the internet to show her disgust and Ava Duvernay also clapped back in the manner that has kept her as one of the most radical women in Hip-Hop and Hollywood.
Lastly, Hip-Hop’s forever President, Barack Obama dropped bars regarding this civil unrest that began with, “History will rightly remember today’s violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president…”
These cougars gotta stop! Now as a man that loves women, I find Vivica Fox attractive to this day. And back in the day, she was even hotter. But, we have to stop calling each other out of our names because it’s racist-y. You would never call the white person a cockroach, would you?
So, the sexy Claudia Jordan asked Vivica Fox if she found Young Thug attractive. Aunt Viv responds: “you know he’s like a good sexy ass cockroach.” Now we know he looks about as sexy as a crack head in a wedding dress.
She continues on to say that he would look like a great animated character, like Lil Wayne. Here’s the thing, I get what she’s saying and I understand it and I receive! Basically, she’s really saying that he’s ugly and that is OK because he is. So is Wayne! So am I! Wayne looks more like a gremlin than a cockroach, and therein lies the problem. I don’t know where you guys grew up but I grew up in an area where you could actually live with some roaches! I’m not feeling calling a Black person a roach! It reeks of self-hatred and racism! I’m going to need her to do better with her descriptive words! Think of another animal or even bug that he might look like! Why not a manatee or platypus? 🤣🤣🤣
As you might assume, it is a very light day for rumors and news so I am struggling right now! I’m gonna leave this right here and move onto the next weak story.
I guess when you get to billionaire circles you have to do things a little bit differently. Meek Mill is a Philly bull that went from the very, very bottom to the tippy tippy top. And since getting out of jail on some trumped up charges, he has been successful in reestablishing himself as a productive member of society but also inserted himself in the billionaires club. That does not mean he is a billionaire himself, but just to see that he runs with them and that produces money in and of itself. So, when you see Meek doing bunny hops, we all collectively have been saying “what is going on?!” The guy that made “Dreams and Nightmares” is now doing bunny hops in front of white dudes?
We are certainly not fully aware of the context of this event, but we can assume a few things. First, we can assume that Meek Mill is living his life to the fullest degree and enjoying it. Secondly, he is rolling with somebody that he is comfortable with enough to do bunny hops in front of AND they record it AND they upload it to the Internet as well. Personally, I am not comfortable with doing bunny hops in front of my mama and, if I did, she certainly wouldn’t be able to upload that to the Internet for all to see. So, Meek is in a different space. Thirdly, we can pretty much assume that the Philly legend lost a bet in a game of tennis or something and honored the bet by doing the bunny hops on tape.
Last year, Meek Mill dropped an EP that seemed to be well received by the fans of Hip-Hop. It didn’t shake the world up or anything but was a solid outing from one of our favorites. At this point it’s going to be interesting to see what happens in the future for Meek Mill’s Hip-Hop brand. I see he is doing a lot of big business and even impacting the political landscape, which is good. He is no longer the young boy with the nappy braids that loc anymore. He’s a grown man and he’s actually Influencing younger artists on where their career path could lead them.
That said, I hope Meeky continues to do good things and stops doing bunny hops for a white men even if they are billionaires!
Rapper and country crossover artist Lil Nas X is delving into the children’s literary market with his first picture book.
The “Old Town Road” hitmaker has collaborated with top artist Theodore Taylor III to launch “C Is For Country,” which aims to teach young readers all about the alphabet.
The book follows a young cowboy and his sidekick, Panini the Pony, as they seek out adventure and celebrate individuality while using their ABCs.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJq14FwlXLZ/
“C IS FOR COUNTRY goes out to every amazing kid out there who sang along to ‘Old Town Road’ on repeat and helped change my life forever. I hope this book inspires them and makes learning the alphabet a thousand times more fun. I’m so happy with how it turned out, and I can’t wait for the world to see it.”
The title is available now through Random House Children’s Books.
Singer and actor Tyrese Gibson’s divorce is starting to get ugly after refuting allegations suggesting he locked his estranged wife and their daughter out of their family home.
However, court papers reveal Samantha actually pulled the plug on their 2017 marriage back in September, and then accused Tyrese of changing the locks on their Georgia home weeks earlier, preventing her from entering with their two-year-old daughter Soraya.
She goes on to claim he cut her off financially, but now Tyrese is fighting back at the allegations, insisting there is no truth to the accusations.
In legal documents obtained by TMZ, Tyrese also takes issue with Samantha’s demand for $20,000 a month in child support, arguing the figure is “unreasonably high.”
He additionally details the fight which led to their separation, revealing they clashed after he returned home from a movie set in late August, and during the heated three-hour conversation, Samantha threatened to call the police on the star.
Tyrese explains he decided to walk out of the house to avoid a confrontation with cops, citing safety fears after “multiple public incidents involving police brutality and racially motivated killings of unarmed African American people.”
The marriage was Tyrese’s second – he was previously married to Norma Gibson, the mother of his 13-year-old daughter, Shayla.
There used to be a notion that battle rappers could not make good music. However, this new generation of competition lyricists has learned from the mistakes of others. Jin and Canibus are not the names you should associate with battle rappers gone pro … Big time artists like Eminem, Joe Budden, Meek Mill, Drake, and Tory Lanez have all connected the origins of their rap careers to the low-level rhyme competitions based on the age-old rites of passage of battling.
Now, emcees in battle culture are more polished, the sport is more structured and commercially viable. The artists have more access to technology to work on making music and are studying the game. The divide between making dope music and verbally knocking someone’s head off is not as wide. This is evident by the huge fan base that these new artists have and their ability to connect via social media in ways that those “keeping it real battlers” from back on the block never could.
Check out the following projects that have dropped this fall that are proof that battle rappers make dope music. With these joints, they prove that they are not just competitive on a league, but can bang alongside your favorite rapper on radio and/or playlist.
Bronx born Factz was born in the cradle of Hip-Hop at the birth of the Golden Age. His cloth was cut from an exclusive KRS One fabric where he prides himself on balancing lyricism, intellect, and responsibility in all of his projects. From penning commercially alongside respected mainstream artists to excelling in the battle rap world, he (as an artist) best demonstrates that there really is no distinction between battle rap and commercial rap’s origins and proves from project to project that they are a part of the same tree rooted in his beloved Boogie Down.
Warped Collages, with its exquisitely performed offerings, is a smart masterpiece that is socially relevant, genuinely thought-provocative, and lapped over some of the most beautiful production. The lead single “A- “ is would make Kris Parker feel comfortable that his legacy is was not lost on this generation of emcees.
A lot of fans know him as one of the emcees that battle Eminem in the 2002 hit movie 8 Mile, but Marv legend status extends far past the 2:27 minutes in the film. As one of the fathers of the Midwest battle rap movement, he has laid the groundwork for legions of emcees to flip verbal acrobatics and spar against each other. But also, as a producer and rapper, he has represented Detroit with top quality music (radio ready) for almost two decades. While pushing out fire projects, he is still killing people in the culture. Currently, he is in the finals of the King of Dot Grand Prix tournament, where the pot is over $50,000.
His new project, Sooner than Later, reminds us why J Dilla before he transitioned wanted to rock with him. His wordplay and song construction is mature without sounding old, is pimp-slick without exploiting one single person. The lead single “Clock On ‘Em” shows why he is “one of one.”
While California rapper Frak doesn’t take himself too seriously, but his good-natured music deserves a serious look. Out of the legendary Zion I camp, his new project B-List Celebrities is distributed by Empire Records and is garnering over a million streams & views across platforms. As a battler, he has been ripping up events since he was 15. Now as an adult, he has used his gifts to attract the attention of real stakeholders in the culture who validate his unique style of rap and a brand that is half Pharcyde and half Mac Miller, with a potential of being one of the biggest stars to come out of battle rap without spitting about picking up a gun.
The Zion I cosign carries weight, but moreover his highly conceptual album B-List Celebrities is strong enough a project to stand on its own. Like Rapsody’s Eve album, each song is named after influencers, personalities or celebrities that we all love and know. However, his collection of song-titled-honorees are not necessarily the first to get invited to anyone’s hall of fame … much less that front of the awards ceremony audience (unless maybe as seat fillers or a guest of someone else), still their iconic status simply can’t be denied. In fact, it made so much noise that some of those who the songs are titled after responded. Actress and comedienne, Aubrey Plaza, and comic Gilbert Gottfried took to social to shout him out after finding out they had songs named after him. While the acknowledgment is fire, it pales to the heat the actual songs manifest.
Amber, as a mineral, represents courage and has been called the “soul of the tiger.” Producer and lyricist Rain 910 seems to have incorporated the spirit of this form of fossilized tree resin into his latest project in efforts to give fans a type masterful example of art that courageously bridges classic Hip-Hop with more contemporary street themes. Think slick talk of AZ meets Dipset Jim Jones, the intellect of Nas unpacked through the intensity of Meek Mills, or perhaps the energy of expected of producers germinated out of the womb of Q Tip, J Dilla, and Havoc’s musical imaginations.
The NWX founder doesn’t battle but has been the go-to for music beds for the Ultimate Rap League and some of your favorite emcees’ projects. Which are a few examples of his extraordinary ear … but tracks like his title single samples Teena Marie’s “Portuguese Love” serves as an example of his extraordinary gift with words.
Shotgun Suge has put out just as much fire music in 2020 as the chart-topping rapper DaBaby. And just like the Charlotte rapper, his music has been as a soundtrack for his hood. A perfect follow up to his Fat Papi Tape 2 that dropped earlier in the year, the Newark emcee’s voice and perspective stand as distinctive markers —that takes a lyrical paintbrush and colors the landscapes of his life. It is true that on his project that he is asking for prayer over those in the streets, but it also humanizes those who call the streets their home.
Unlike his other projects, he is sharing the limelight with several other emcees. Each song features a different voice, communicating in their own language their prayer for the streets (or maybe their warning). Skidadal, Tally-Man Up, Tigg, and Allstardagreat step up like champs, complimenting him on this project.
Additional Track Not On The Album
Music is still being dropped by battle rappers who just simply crank out joints that demonstrate the skill and talents these artists have.
R&B star Ne-Yo is set to renew his wedding vows with his wife Crystal Smith after reconciling during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The “U 2 Luv” hitmaker had been heading for divorce in early 2020 after parting ways with the mother of his two youngest children, and he even filed legal papers to make the split official in late March.
However, the estranged couple ended up using the singer’s unexpected downtime to work on its marital issues, and Ne-Yo and Crystal emerged from the shutdown with new respect and appreciation for one another.
On New Year’s Eve (December 31st), Ne-Yo decided to pledge his love to his wife once again by proposing to Crystal and presenting her with a huge new sparkler.
In video footage of the sweet moment posted to Instagram, the couple can be seen dancing to Rihanna’s “We Found Love” hit before Ne-Yo addresses his wife and their reunion.
“We have decided that this is our forever, yes?” he asks Crystal, as she nods in agreement. “I need you to know there is nobody else on the face of the planet I would rather be with, and with that being said… Crystal Renay Smith, will you marry me again?”
Crystal has since shared her love for Ne-Yo in her own social media posts, gushing, “They say I’m crazy for loving you, but baby they just don’t know. My twin flame. I’ll love (you) for a thousand years and then I’ll love you for a thousand more.”
She also showed off her giant new diamond ring, and declared, “And dn, babe! You did that! It’s a dn glacier on my finger!”
The couple originally tied the knot in 2016.
Ne-Yo was previously engaged to Monyetta Shaw, with whom he shares two older kids.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ son has been slapped with a series of police citations after he was caught riding a jet ski in Miami, Florida on Monday night (January 4th).
Justin Combs was stopped by Miami Beach Police Department Marine Patrol officials at around 8 pm local time for violating the city’s water rules after taking a jet ski out on Biscayne Bay more than 30 minutes after sunset.
He and his two female passengers were also scolded for failing to wear life jackets, landing Justin a handful of citations as he was towed back to land.
According to reports, Justin and his pals were en route to party on board a yacht anchored off Star Island when they ran into legal trouble.
Singer SZA insists she’s not “mad” at losing out on a total of nine Grammy Awards in the last two years.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan, the “Hit Different” hitmaker, real name Solana Imani Rowe, confessed she has no negative feelings after being nominated nine times at the 2018 and 2019 Grammys, and going home empty-handed.
“I’m just a girl from the ‘burbs. I never had dreams of being nominated for a Grammy,” she tells Cosmopolitan for its February issue. “I thought I was going to be a gymnast and a fking business accountant somewhere. Or working at Nike corporate or some st in Portland. Who knows, but something that involved a power suit. So it’s not a heavy burden.”
The 30-year-old singer, who was nominated for best new artist in 2018, and for several songs on her critically acclaimed debut album Ctrl — lost the former prize to Alessia Cara – causing uproar among her fans and widespread criticism of the Grammys.
“Once you’ve been nominated and lost, you’re very much free because you’re not concerned,” she continues. “I passed that threshold years ago—it’s an old energy to me. Why would I be mad?”
SZA, who released the track “Good Days” in December, also opened up what fans can expect from her new album.
“This album is going to be the st that made me feel something in my…here and in here,” she told the outlet, signaling to her stomach and heart. “That’s what’s going to go on the album. I’m making all different types of st every day from different places in my spirit.”
Mixxproduction is exactly what his name embodies. The producer, audio engineer, and songwriter can do it all in the studio.
Sporting 5 Billboard #1’s, 9 Gold and 6 Platinum plaques, real name Baruch Nembhard is considered one of the music industry’s best kept secrets. His extensive catalog includes rappers from Kanye West to Drake to French Montana, and R&B superstars such as The Weeknd and Teyana Taylor.
Without music, Mixx would still be in the streets. He explains, “Music really saved me because growing up, my parents really wanted us to do the right thing: college, lawyer, doctor. My generation was so against the grain where a lot of my other homies ended up in the streets, still trying to get out. Music helped me.”
Since the age of 15, the South Florida-born, Jamaica-raised visionary has been enthralled with the gift of music. With his unique sounds and intricate ear for tones, Mixx continues to work hard daily perfecting his craft and the crafts of those artists who he has the pleasure of collaborating with.
Most recently Mixx landed 4 standout records on French Montana’s critically-acclaimed Coke Boys 5, including “In the Sun” featuring Curren$y, “Brothers” featuring Lil Durk, “Big Cap,” and “You Deserve a Oscar.”
AllHipHop: You’re from South Florida, but raised in Jamaica. How does that play into your life and career?
Mixxproduction: I was born in South Florida then raised in Jamaica, so I got influenced by reggae music at an early age. Came back to Florida and got influenced by hip hop and R&B. My family was heavy on church music. The other side of my family actually started a label. At that time, I started DJing at an early age at 15. Professional DJing in the clubs, getting money, and learning the industry. Me and my homies, we used to record songs and play it at the clubs during my gigs. One of the records blew up locally, so we decided to take it serious.” We slowed down on the DJing and got more focused on music production.
AllHipHop: Did you always want to be a DJ first?
Mixxproduction: When I was young my brothers and friends, they used to DJ. I never wanted to be a DJ, it just happened. I saved up a lot of money as a kid to buy DJ equipment. I fell in love with it, started DJing at small parties. It was my first successful hustle.
How did you learn how to produce? Did you teach yourself?
Mixxproduction: Pretty much. I downloaded FruityLoops when it was free, when the industry looked at it as a toy. I started messing around with it. I had some older cousins real heavy in the game, I used to go down to the studio as a youngin’. I took one of my homies from early high school and started producing, because all my cousins were working with a whole lot of people in the industry. During the free studio time, I’d go in there and start producing with one of my homies. Self-taught really.
AllHipHop: What was your first big placement?
Mixxproduction: First placement I got in the industry was a song called “In The Air” by Teyana Taylor. It was on her first album when she signed to Def Jam.
AllHipHop: How did you tap in with her?
Mixxproduction: I really tapped in with a studio in South Beach called South Beach Studio, I used to bring them a lot of work. It was my own work, I used to bring clients there. The owner respected that, so he started giving me clients too. It started out with street rappers. Word went around town and he started giving me major acts, Teyana was one of them.
AllHipHop: What was the energy in the studio with Teyana?
Mixxproduction: It was great. She’s real dope and real creative. She really knows what she wants. Working on the album was a full process, but overall it was great.
AllHipHop: Bring us back to the session for Teyana Taylor’s “Issues.”
Mixxproduction: It’s a crazy story behind that song. It wasn’t hard doing that record because Kanye had got some really dope writers that came in and laced it for us. We did that song in an hour. It’s crazy because that song’s called “Issues,” I remember my hard drive crashed and that was the only song that wasn’t backed up. I was freaking out. I was dreading the day I had to tell Kanye I didn’t have this song. It happened, I had to tell him. We ended up figuring it out, re-recorded some parts.
AllHipHop: Saw you were at Teyana’s The Album release party in Beverly Hills, I was there too!
Mixxproduction: That was fun. I had to drink a lot of champagne that night to celebrate all the hard work we’d been putting in through these years. It was fun and exciting, appreciating the moment.
AllHipHop: How did it feel when you received your first plaque?
Mixxproduction: Again, it goes back to Teyana. The first plaque was really the #1 Billboard plaque for her first album, VII. I was excited. It made me feel like if I did this one, I could get more. Continue the process. It was fun, definitely popped a lot of champagne bottles.
AllHipHop: Talk about producing 4 records on French Montana’s Coke Boys 5. How’d you guys link initially?
Mixxproduction: French, we linked through a couple of my homies. It was in the same studio, South Beach back in the day. One of my homies was producing with them and he brought me in. I did a few tracks on his mixtape, Coke Zoo. I produced a song on there, mixed a couple songs, mastered a whole tape. He moved to LA first. I was still in Florida and when I finally got out here, I linked back up with him through one of my other homies. We ended up working on the MONTANA album, then we just did Coke Boys 5.
AllHipHop: What was the vibe for the Coke Boys 5 album?
Mixxproduction: It was different from doing the MONTANA album because the CB5 album we were all more focused. We were more efficient working on the Coke Boys 5 project and the upcoming album we’re working on right now. We did some in Vegas, some in Miami, and some in his crib in LA.
AllHipHop: Talk about producing “In the Sun” featuring Curren$y and “Brothers” featuring Lil Durk.
Mixxproduction: Made the beat, French hopped on it, then he went and chilled with Durk and recorded that. Curren$y also recorded separately. It was dope having Curren$y because I grew up listening to Curren$y, so it’s exciting having a legend hop on one of my beats. You know Durk, he’s always dope. He’s a dope rapper. He killed “Brothers.” When I listen to it, he really brought that track alive. He’s doing his thing.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite song you did with French?
Mixxproduction: “Salam Alaykum” and “Brothers” so far are my personal favorites. It’s the feeling of it. “Salam Alaykum” as soon as you press play, you feel something. It’s so smooth. I made that and it ended up being a fan favorite.
AllHipHop: Creatively, how did you come up with the beat for “Slide” by French Montana?
Mixxproduction: Man, I made that beat so fast. We made that beat in 10 minutes. I was running through beats because I didn’t think he’d pick that beat. He heard it and said “yo bruh, nah go back.” I’m like what? Because to me, it was a playful beat. He hopped on it, doing a street song. It wasn’t “Slide” at first. We sat on that for a while, then one day Lil Tjay came over. French said “yo, that beat I did that song to.” Played it, French hopped in the booth, came up with the concept of “Slide.” Tjay hopped in the booth after and slayed it, killed it. French went in and finished his part. Two weeks later, he had Blueface come over. Blueface hopped in the booth, did his verse. That record we all created together in-person. It was really fun creating that, had everybody sliding in the studio. [laughs]
AllHipHop: Talk about working on Polo G’s breakout single, “Finer Things.”
Mixxproduction: I mixed on most of Polo G’s album, Die A Legend. I got a lot of plaques from that album. While mixing the album, I had no idea it was going to do this well. Because I work on a lot of dope music that really don’t go where it deserves to go, you never know sometimes. Working on the album I knew the music was dope, but to see it reach places where it deserved to go was exciting. It brought in 6 of my plaques, something crazy.
AllHipHop: What’s your relationship with Polo in the studio?
Mixxproduction: It was a few times, he was real chill. I know these kids get hype, but at the time he was real chill. He was cool, laidback, and he knows what he wants.
AllHipHop: What is it that you want fans to get from your story?
Mixxproduction: To be honest, pick something that you’re good at, that you really love and stick with it. Because that’s what I did. Be 100 straight through, whoever you work with or whatever you do. You’re going to go through a lot of challenges but be the best at what you do.
AllHipHop: Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to the studio?
Mixxproduction: Don’t come in there and talk the whole session because you won’t get any work done. I worked with people that did both sides. I worked with people that came in there and played their career away, didn’t make nothing out of it. I worked with people who took it mad serious, come in the studio and get work done. Really create.
AllHipHop: What inspires you the most?
Mixxproduction: Back in the day, I didn’t even need to be inspired to work on music. My grind was so heavy at the moment. Even when I was uninspired, I still worked. Nowadays, I need to be inspired. Different things. It could be a new sound and I get inspired. It could be something I’m going through in life. It depends on the moment, I get inspired by different things and then I create.
AllHipHop: What can we look forward to next?
Mixxproduction: Follow my Instagram at @mixxproduction. I have a few singles coming out and I’m starting a record label. I’ve got a couple joints with Chris Brown coming out. I have some tracks with The Weeknd, Quavo, and a few up-and-coming artists. It’s about to pop off because I’m working with a lot of up-and-coming artists now. I want to work with the youth. DDG, Qua from Philly. CJ, he popped off in New York. I’m looking to sign new artists to my label. I’ma stamp it and the streets will see it.
Taraji P. Henson broke down while recalling the heartbreaking conversation she had with her son after his father was murdered.
The “Empire” star has opened up about the drama for the latest episode of her Facebook Watch show, “Peace of Mind with Taraji,” revealing her son Marcell, now 26, was just nine when his dad was “stabbed to death” and she initially told him his father had died “in an accident,” because she didn’t know how to tell him the truth.
During the show, Taraji explained, “Later on in life he found out and he came back to me and was like, ‘Why didn’t you tell me my daddy was murdered?’ And so then we had to get therapy.
“I didn’t have the balls – it wouldn’t come out. It was in the paper and I didn’t know how to tell him. He was stabbed to death. It was the worst way you could die. I just didn’t have the words. I didn’t know how to tell a nine-year-old.”
Taraji then asked guest and therapist Sierra Hillsman for her advice on breaking devastating news to a young child.
Sierra said, “I would definitely say use age-appropriate language, explaining sometimes there are situations where people do evil things to other people – in this situation, somebody killed your father.”
Henson launched her Facebook Watch show to discuss mental health issues, particularly those impacting the black community. It airs every Monday and Wednesday.
