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Author Kathy Iandoli Talks Prodigy Of Mobb Deep & The Plight Of Queens In Hip-Hop

By: Chuck Creekmur (@ChuckCreekmur)Category: Features

(AllHipHop Features) Kathy Iandoli has come a long way. The acclaimed journalist is now a fully vested author with a new book that chronicles the important, enduring legacy of women in Hip-Hop. “God Save The Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop” is necessary reading for anyone, as it tells the stories of the ladies that have not had their tales told.

Oddly, Kathy is one of those women, having about two decades in Hip-Hop professionally. Her “pen” has written for Vibe, The Source, XXL, the Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Billboard magazine, Pitchfork, Playboy, Cosmopolitan, Maxim, Vice magazine, and AllHipHop in her earlier years. In fact, she was a part of our crew, “The Gunshow,” which helped pave the way for almost every urban website that matters. 

Check out this conversation between Kathy Iandoli and friend/ AHH co-founder Chuck Creekmur as they discuss her relationship with the late Prodigy of Mobb Deep and Jermaine Dupri’s comments about women rappers. Kathy also talks about her unfortunate, but all-too-real experiences with misogyny in rap and what can be done proactively.

AllHipHop: For those that don’t know, Kathy used to work at AllHipHop many, many moons ago and you were our alternatives editor. But we shared common interests outside of hip hop and a lot of that we brought to the table. Like Tori Amos, we brought her to AllHipHop, right?

Kathy Iandoli: The cool part about it was like during that time period, cause you know, I’m one of the original “Gun Show” members, I just have to represent. But during that time, we also did a lot of the women in hip hop that were kind of bubbling but weren’t quite there on the mainstream. But we brought a lot, like Lily Allen, Tory Amos, M.I.A, Rihanna.

AllHipHop: It was so fun. Cause we just did whatever we wanted.

Kathy Iandoli: But the traffic showed we were right.

AllHipHop: So, you have a new book. “God Save the Queens – The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop. It’s out on Harper Collins. Well, first of all, I want to say congratulations. This is really your first book that you’ve written by yourself, alone, which is incredibly hard. I’ve been working on a book for three years. I just can’t imagine so talk about, first of all, the process of writing this book. What prompted you to write it and how hard was it?

Kathy Iandoli: It’s been like a decade in the making to actually get this book out. I mean when you think about it, when I actually sat down and, and officially got this book deal and I was putting everything together and you know, I’m a research nerd who just wanted to make sure it’s obviously very accurate. There was nothing like it. Like anything, You know, there was a little bit of coverage of women in hip hop but a lot of the hip hop books were just really, there’s a couple of pages, there’s like a chapter or things like that. So to make sure that this was kind of this all-encompassing book of over four decades of women in hip hop and just being able to cover just all of the ground, but at the same time making sure that there were just, you know, an exploration of these kind of pivotal moments that were happening for women in hip hop and how they contributed to the larger just culture.

And I think I learned a lot of random things putting this book together and just how many women were in the room, how many women pioneered so much. And then, you know, it’s always just kind of passed off to a guy and then, you know, he’ll run with it. But putting it together, it was just one of those things where I had this realization that not only was it such a long time coming, but there’s a lot we just didn’t know, you know.

AllHipHop: What was the most interesting that you learned that you didn’t already know?

Kathy Iandoli: Well, I had read some articles about Kool Herc with the infamous party, but I didn’t know it was his sister’s idea. And it was actually her party. You know, so it was Cindy’s party and you know, Herc was deejaying and that night and he became a legend. But just the idea that it was essentially her party to pay for her school clothes, something like that I really wasn’t aware of.

I wasn’t aware of Monie Love ,when she came here from London all the dudes were trying to hit on her. Any famous rapper, Monie was their target. And it got to a point where she shaved her head and she taped her breasts down so that she could go into a room and start rapping and not have them try anything with her. So just these kinds of stories that you’re just like, “Ugh, that’s crazy.” And a lot of the stuff, even the Lil Kim stuff, just a lot of what women had to endure. And it’s just a testament to the strength of women, but particularly black women.

AllHipHop: What made you name it “God Save the Queens?

Kathy Iandoli: Well, you know, in England there’s the whole “God save the queen, protect the queen at all costs, protect royalty, bless royalty.” And women in Hip-Hop, are royalty. So it was just this idea of creating this title that just showed how the most unprotected women need to be protected. And also it was kind of a play on the idea of like the “Gods” and “Earths” (The Five Percent Nation) and you know the irony of the title as if to suggest that women need to be saved.

AllHipHop: So who did you talk to and what was the process?

Kathy Iandoli: I cast the widest net, who I felt I should talk to. And some people gave some really good, extensive stories and others just gave little tidbits and anecdotes. And then I also pulled from my interviews over the last two decades and shared some of that insight. I spoke to Nicki Minaj, like one of the first interviews she ever did and Lil Kim. I got Monie Love and Rah Digga, I got Debbie Dee, one of the original Us Girls from “Beat Street” to talk and tell her story.

I spoke with Bahamadia, Gangsta Boo, Mia X and Le Chat. I got Megan Thee Stallion. She closes my book. So I spoke to a lot of women and I got their takes on a lot of different things. I spoke to other women in the industry and just kind of pulled together this story. But I also spoke with Questlove, because The Roots to the Fugees and the whole story with Eve on “You Got Me” on an uncredited verse. So there’s actually a really funny story about that in the book too. And I didn’t want to do an encyclopedia. I mean we’re in a society where we retweet, we don’t read these 85,000 words that I put together. I wanted to make it also a fun read and there’s kind of little anecdotes with myself, opening the chapters because I’ve been in this for a long time, but I’m also just a Hip-Hop fan.

AllHipHop: Even after AllHipHop we’ve intersected quite a bit. And you talk about a radio station incident where someone calls you the “C-word.” That’s almost like the worst thing you can call a woman. Do you wanna explain that situation as it opens the book

It was one of those things where at that point I had been in Hip-Hop or working in the music industry for about a decade. And it really wasn’t being called the C-word by the artist that got to me. It was what happened after that. Basically, long story short I didn’t agree to some sort of favor that was asked of an artist on air. Not a favor from me, but a favor to get an intern to do something. I was the director of the urban programming there. So my rule was my rule, you know, it was for the safety of an employee and I was called the “C-word.” And when it happened, I ran into the office of the executive in the company.

An he was just very like well, “Who’s going to respect you?” It was one those things where I’ve been doing this for like 10 years. What do you mean? I think that was almost worse than being called that. I’ve seen that person, since he called me that and we’ve been fine. He’s not forgiven for that, but it’s like whatever. But you’re being told by someone who literally didn’t have my tenure in the industry telling me well, “What did you expect?” That was the part where it’s like, “Oh.”

And it was really during that time period that I made that decision that I was going to put a book out. And one of the guys who was in the room during that whole scenario, when I was walking out, I turned to him and I said, “You’re going to see this in a book one day.” And he reminded me because I was fact-checking that story. So I called a couple of people who were there and I was like “Could you do a quick go over this again?” It was 10 years ago. And he’s like, “You know, you walked out of that room and you turned to me and you said this is going to show up in a book one day.” And I was like, well “tahh dahh…”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3nCmHRgbpt

AllHipHop: Hip-Hop is infamously misogynistic and hard on women and actually has been kind of almost from the beginning, but it got worse after Gangster rap, let’s just say it. It is what it is. You know what I mean? Regardless of the initial thought behind it with Ice Cube, and he always explained it so eloquently. Honestly respect to Cube, I’ve never really agreed with him, but at least he had some sense behind it. What are your thoughts on overall how Hip-Hop has treated its women?

Kathy Iandoli: Well, I think to your point with the whole success of Gangster rap, what it did was it normalized using the words b##ch and hoe. And I think once that became fun vernacular and there are women dancing in the clubs to being called it, you know, I think that’s where things sort of changed. I don’t necessarily think that there was any less misogyny prior, but I just think that how it was expressed was a little more normalized during that period of time. And we never really bounced back. But I think what happened was if you’re talking circa 1996 when you had Lil Kim and Foxy Brown and other artists who were sexually expressive and taking ownership of just being like, “okay I’m going to, I’m going to express myself before you try to put me down for it.”

But what ended up happening was the press coverage around Lil Kim and Foxy specifically during that time, they were called raunchy. They were called s####. They were called all these things for being expressive and trying to turn around what it was that was happening within the misogyny in hip hop. And then they’re being talked down for it. And if you think about Gangster rap, the one thing that was always being challenged was the gun talk. It wasn’t the b##ch and hoe talk. It’s like, well, how dare you, how dare you rap about violence when, when cops are constantly pulling you over and police brutality is rampant in South Central LA. How, how dare you do that?. But b##ches and hoes is fine. You know, it was misguided anger.

AllHipHop: There were pockets of resistance here and there, you know? I’ve always been anti-degrading women and I remember I had a moment with somebody who is in the industry, over a Dr. Dre song. “It Ain’t No Fun” and I’m like, “Yo, this is the worst song ever.” I’m like “if it ain’t no fun…if, the homeys can’t have none? That’s just nasty.” But one person I was cool with was a woman and she loved it. She was like, “I ain’t trying to hear that, that’s my song.” Are women in any way guilty?

Kathy Iandoli: I wouldn’t say guilty. I think it’s just a matter of how you choose to separate the artists from the art. There are certain artists that have 1,000,001 reasons not to listen to their music because of who they are as people. But I’m less likely to support an artist who I know has a track record of horrible behavior yeah than I am about the content of a song at this point. Sometimes the two connect, sometimes they completely do. And other times they don’t. I mean there’s some artists who sing about peace and love or rap about peace and love and they’re awful individuals. “I Believe I Can Fly.” I can’t say that like I don’t have a playlist that has something a little crazy, but it is something where as a woman use you have to make that kind of decision every time you press play.

AllHipHop: This year there was this whole raging discussion when Jermaine Dupri says they are all strippers or something along those lines. Everybody collectively was like what are you talking about? Some people were like, “You’re not even on the wave of Hip-Hop anymore to say that.” And then other people were like, “you’re man mansplaining” and things of that nature. What were your thoughts on that?

Kathy Iandoli: The internet and social media is just so dangerous because now everyone has thoughts about everything. And there’s a number of times a day where I’m just like, nobody needed your hot take. You could’ve just kept watching television or finishing your lunch or doing something. And he just like fell into that because Jermaine Dupri has contributed a lot to Hip-Hop. He’s the reason why we have Da Brat. But to make that assertion at a time where he hasn’t really pushed any woman in Hip-Hop, I don’t know what he was looking at, or what statistics he was checking in marketing meetings because I have yet to see the product of his extensive research. But then when he turned around and was like, “I’m gonna put all these women together,” it was like…”I’m going to have a female cipher.” I don’t know about it.

AllHipHop: He’s still working on it cause we just got an email from him the other day, well his people. You should talk to him.

Kathy Iandoli: Oh, I’d love to. I’d love to have a conversation about it. I’m just curious too, because if he’s looking at this data, I want to see this data where these things come from. But there’s a lot of unfounded opinions that just kind of infiltrate social media. And we’re all guilty of it to a certain extent. And sometimes we will just say something and we’re in an era where we don’t have always the receipts to back it up. You know, when you were talking about the whole idea of conflicting opinions when it comes to songs, we would have our “Gun Show” meetings. (AllHipHop’s editorial staff was lovingly called “The Gun Show”) We would sit and deliberate on what every piece of material that hit AllHipHop.com. Places don’t do that anymore. That’s a lost art. Now. It’s the content, the speed. I wish we had that kind of time period again where we can curate and you know, it would allow for a lot more well thought out opinions and a lot of well-thought-out coverage. I’m interested to see what the JD cipher is.

AllHipHop: You also worked with Prodigy of Mobb Deep extensively. I was there some of the time and Prodigy was one of my favorites. When he died, I felt like I lost a family member. I was like, “Yo, I’m crying. What’s going on?” Talk about the book and your relationship.

Kathy Iandoli: I met Mobb Deep over the years, but I went out to lunch with P right around the time that he got out of prison and I was doing an interview, one of his first ones when he got out and we just vibed, we clicked. One thing about Prodigy is just, he just has the craziest sense of humor. Like he had a dry sense of humor. One of those things was his deadpan delivery with like the Queens accent and the gruff voice and he would just say things and you’re just like “What?” I mean our text conversations, sometimes I still look at them cause he would send me the most ridiculous memes or he would sent me a picture of an artist wearing something then be like, “yo Kat, come get your friend.”

But when we had that lunch, he said to me, “I’ve been thinking of doing kind of like this cookbook or some way to explain what happened to me while I was in prison.” Because you know he had the SS type of sickle cell anemia, which is the worst. He was in constant pain. He had to always just maintain his health and make sure that he watched everything that went into his body. He was nervous when he went in because he was like “I don’t want to die in prison from like malnutrition or from sodium intake and things like that.” So he made an effort to use what he could from his commissary and from what his family would send. A lot of fans sent him stuff too and create these kinds of meals to just make sure he was all right. 

But also shed some light on the prison system. I didn’t know certain things. I didn’t know that in order to get water in prison you have to fill jugs yourself and carry the jugs. But the easiest thing to get is orange drink and that fake sweet tea. You can walk out your door or cell and get that. But to get water you have to take a jug, you have to go up like steps and grab a jug and do all these things. And if that doesn’t speak volumes, I don’t know what does. A lot of inmates leave diabetic. Because all they’re drinking all day is orange drink. Having kidney disease, all of those things. There’s a thing called prison tea where they take the Ramen packet and pour it in water and drink it. The thing’s got like 2,500 milligrams of sodium. You are drinking that three times a day. 

When you see a lot of people leave prison and you’re like, “Wow, they got swollen.” No, that’s sodium. That’s not completely doing pullups. You know, P and I, we got really close through the process when the book came out. He wanted me with him. We were able to go to Harvard and Yale and all these places. And then that following year, which was 2017, he wanted to do more. We were going to do a musical that was based loosely on his life. But then also he had a lot of conflicts of opinions on what it was that he was putting out there that he felt maybe he was causing people to be violent. 

There was a moment when he was in court during his trial. And they asked him if he wanted to cop a plea and he’s like, “I didn’t do anything.” I mean, basically, you know, he had a gun under his seat and cops made it seem like he was like waving it around. They were like, “Are you sure?” And he was sitting in the courtroom and they push out a TV with a VCR and he’s like, “A tear came to my eye.” He was like, “They’re going to play my music videos.” So he got to this point toward the end of his life where he wanted to somehow just make good on all of that. You know, balance his karma. I knew something was up when he started making peace with everyone. The one that trips me out was when he and Tru Life made that peace treaty. I was like, “is he okay?” I hope he’s feeling good. I mean it’s great, that’s like one long-standing beef that was just crazy. 

But when he started making all these like peace treaties and squashing all this beef, I was like something felt weird. 

We were going to do a book. His own “Decoded,” cause you know, I did the research for Jay-Z’s “Decoded” and he wanted me to do a book like that with him. And we were working on that and we were doing all these things and then he got on “Fallon” and we were right there. And then he wanted to do a second memoir to “My Infamous Life.” It was called “The State vs Albert Prodigy Johnson.”

He talked about starting the book the day that he got out of prison. I remember the day. We got these free tee shirts from Harvard. And he’s like, “I would wear those every day.” And that day I was wearing it I texted him and I sent him a picture. I was like, “look at what I’m wearing for the first time since we got it like almost a year ago.” And no text back. And then I went on social media and I posted the picture. I knew he was in Vegas, but I was like, maybe he’s like sleeping. So a couple of minutes later Questlove called and he was like, “Are you OK?” And another friend of mine called and was like “Nas posted, that Prodigy died.” And then Freeway called me. I’m getting all these artists are hitting me because they knew our friendship. And then I’m getting calls from publications, “Can you do an interview?” And I said, “An interview of what, I don’t know what’s happening.” And then come to find out that he had passed away and it was too soon. But I feel like P knew he was on a clock.

A lot of people don’t live to see 40 with that horrible disease and he wanted to be an advocate for that stuff. I think that there is no coincidence that a disease that only specifically affects Black people gets the least amount of research, you know? And that was something that he wanted to really just focus on underserved research for that disease. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3iTO_BAhh9

Tyler The Creator Can’t Stand British Food

By: AllHipHop StaffCategory: News

(AllHipHop News) Rapper Tyler, The Creator is not a fan of British food.

The “Earfquake” rapper has just played three back-to-back shows in the U.K. after previously being banned from the country by former Prime Minister Theresa May when she was Home Secretary in 2015.

He admitted he’s in no rush to return because the food there is terrible.

In a new online interview with wacky Canadian Internet personality Nardwuar, Tyler admits he has a lot of friends in England and loves the parks and the music that came out of Britain in the late 1980s, but he can’t stomach the grub.

“It’s some of the worst f##king food I’ve ever had,” he said. “It’s like they don’t season anything, (they have) beans and tomatoes for breakfast.”

Cardi B Effortlessly Performs With Baby Kulture In Her Arm

By: AllHipHop StaffCategory: News

(AllHipHop News) Cardi B’s daughter Kulture made her stage debut on Wednesday as the pair joined rapper Offset at the third installment of the Billboard Hip-Hop Live concert series.

The couple welcomed Kulture last July and have shared several sweet clips of them spending quality time together on their respective Instagram accounts.

But fans attending the Migos star’s gig at the Sony Hall in New York were thrilled when “Bodak Yellow” rapper Cardi took to the stage with her daughter in her arms, as she joined her husband to perform her verse from their track “Clout.”

Wearing Louis Vuitton slippers and grey sweats, the star held baby Kulture in her right arm with the microphone effortlessly in her left.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bvmPQ5VNGU

“That’s my wife, it’s the best thing in the world,” Offset said of sharing the stage with Cardi. “That’s the best.”

Shortly after giving birth, Cardi teased fans at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards when she appeared on stage in a billowing red gown and a pink bundle in her arms.

“I got a little surprise for you,” she teased, with fans anticipating the rapper would be carrying her then a five-week-old daughter.

However, she soon unwrapped the blanket to reveal she actually had a Moon Person – the iconic VMA trophy – wrapped in the bundle. 

Stormzy Pressured Atlantic Records Boss To Step Down Over Run-DMC Blackface Costume

By: AllHipHop StaffCategory: News

(AllHipHop News) Stormzy reportedly threatened to walk out on Atlantic Records after it emerged chief Ben Cook attended a party in blackface.

The music mogul stepped down from his position on Wednesday, seven years after he attended a bash as a member of hip-hop group Run-DMC, wearing the “offensive” face make-up.

In a statement, he announced that he was leaving the firm with “immediate effect,” adding: “I am devastated that this mistake has caused upset and has called into question my commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion, values which I have championed throughout my career.”

Ben Cook was responsible for launching the career of Ed Sheeran and teamed up with grime star Stormzy to create his own Merky Records imprint.

However, a source told Britain’s The Sun newspaper the “Vossi Bop” star was furious when he found out about the incident and had told parent company Warner Music that he wouldn’t stand for it – and would even quit the label.

“When Stormzy found out what had gone on, and that he had been allowed to stay, he was furious,” the said. “He stepped in and made it clear he would not be prepared to keep working with them if Ben stayed, and also that he might go public with the details of why.

“He clearly saw this as a major issue and felt he had a responsibility to use his influence to highlight it – and to ensure incidents like this are taken seriously.”

They added: “He absolutely believes this was the right thing to do.” 

Godfather Of Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods Sent To Prison For 11 Years Thanks To Tekashi 6ix9ine Cooperation

By: AllHipHop StaffCategory: News

(AllHipHop News) The alleged “Godfather” of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods is heading off to the penitentiary for his role in a RICO case involving rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine.

Judge Paul Engelmayer sent Mel Murda to prison for 11 years today (October 17th).

Mel Murda, born Jamel Jones, was busted with Tekashi 6ix9ine and 11 other members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods in November of 2018.

The Feds arrested the gang for perpetrating a variety of brazen acts, from shooting up the Barclay’s Center to ordering a hit on Chief Keef, as well as kidnapping Tekashi 6ix9ine himself.

Mel Murda was charged with racketeering, drug dealing and carrying guns after he was set up by another cooperating witness named Kristian Cruz, who swore they made nearly $500,000 dealing heroin together.

Earlier this month, Mel Murda, 39, sent a letter to Judge requesting leniency, insisting he was caught up in the fast lifestyle of the music business after he inked a record deal with Diplomat Records.

The Feds challenged Mel Murda, and shot back in a letter to the judge saying he continues to run the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods from behind the prison walls.

Mel Murda was also caught approving violence against Tekashi 6ix9ine in conversations caught on wiretapped calls after an internal war erupted over the control of the rapper’s career.

As a result, Judge Engelmayer decided to throw the book at Mel Murda by punishing him with 135 months, on the lower end of the 169 months allowed under federal sentencing guidelines.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Under Jamel Jones’s leadership, the Nine Trey gang acted with impunity to ensure their narcotics business remained intact, including shootings, assaults, and robberies. Now, Jones faces more than a decade behind bars for his role and involvement in this violent gang.”

EXCLUSIVE: XXXTentacion Murder Suspect Trayvon Newsome Granted Bond Hearing

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Exclusives

(AllHipHop News) One of the men accused of murdering XXXTentacion just received a date to argue his case to be released on bail.

Trayvon Newsome is one of four men accused of stalking XXXTentacion and killing him during a robbery attempt outside a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida in June of 2018.

Suspects Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams, Robert Allen and Trayvon Newsome are being held without bond over murder and armed robbery charges.

Back in September, Trayvon Newsome filed documents demanding to be released from jail, claiming he was entitled to a bond until the government proved otherwise.

Earlier this week, Judge Michael Usan granted Newsome what is known as an “Arthur Hearing.”

During an “Arthur Hearing,” the state will have to present sufficient evidence against Newsome, including witnesses or witness affidavits.

The state will also have to demonstrate Newsome is a threat to society, or he could be discharged from jail on bond.

Judge Usan will listen to arguments from both sides at 11:30 am on October 31. 

Tyga Announces “Mamacita Of The Dead” Halloween Event

By: Yohance Kyles (@HUEYmixwitRILEY)Category: News

(AllHipHop News) There was a lot of chatter about 2018 being a colossal comeback year for Tyga. If that is the case, the 29-year-old performer maintained his winning ways well into this year as well.

Tyga’s 2019 independent album, Legendary, earned Gold certification from the RIAA. Then he signed a multi-million dollar major label deal with Columbia Records with new music on the way.

Up next for the Californian is his first-ever hosting and producing gig at a Halloween event. Tyga’s “Mamacita of the Dead” will take place at the Yamashiro restaurant in Hollywood.

For the first time in over 100 years, Tyga is inviting attendees to explore a Haunted Hell House in the basement of Yamashiro. The hidden catacombs are said to be from Queen Madame’s alleged haunted brothel.

https://twitter.com/Tyga/status/1184177457059876864

“Mamacita” was accused of being either a Santeria witch who cut off the heads of the women she found too beautiful or a vampire who used her Bordello as a hellish den of blood-sucking sirens that preyed upon their clients. Some say she was a lover of the devil who gave birth to Satan’s baby whose cries can still be heard in the Hollywood Hills today.

“This is something I always wanted to do. I love Halloween and wanted the opportunity to present my vision for it. Dare to Enter. You may never want to leave Mamacita’s embrace,” states Tyga. “Mamacita of the Dead is scheduled for October 29 and 30.

Dave East Talks Working With Nipsey Hussle On A Joint Project Before His Death

By: Yohance Kyles (@HUEYmixwitRILEY)Category: News

(AllHipHop News) Dave East is preparing to drop his next body of work. Survival is scheduled to land on November 8. The project reportedly includes a track that serves as a dedication to the late Nipsey Hussle.

In an interview with Revolt, Dave East elaborated on his relationship with Nipsey. He explained how Nip’s passing affected his desire to release music. East also revealed the two rappers were apparently crafting a collaborative effort.

“We were six songs in. We were planning a tour and all of that. F*ck rap. I’m going to keep it 100. That was my n*gga,” said East. “Anything we did together or anytime I had to be around that n*gga, I cherish it.”

The Wu-Tang: An American Saga actor continued, “It’s wack he went out like that. That n*gga’s a king. Kings ain’t supposed to go out like that. But, that’s the world we’re living in. It’s wack he went out like that, but it sharpened me and a million other n*ggas up. He went out like a G.”

Nipsey Hussle (born Ermias Asghedom) was shot multiple times outside his Marathon Clothing store in Los Angeles on March 31. The 33-year-old community activist/entrepreneur was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Asghedom is survived by two children and his longtime partner, actress Lauren London.

“You’re motivated to do everything that n*gga did because he’s from the ‘hood. I met that n*gga on Crip time. No rap. No song. I’m from the [Rolling] 30s [Harlem Crips]. That’s how we met. I love Nip [to] death and I’m going to put on for Nip until my death,” said East about Hussle.

Watch Nelly Imitate Busta Rhymes’ Initial Reaction To Hearing “Hot In Herre”

By: Yohance Kyles (@HUEYmixwitRILEY)Category: News

(AllHipHop News) Nelly’s double-platinum hit “Hot In Herre” dominated radio playlists back in 2002. The Neptunes-produced record also peaked at #1 on the Hot 100 chart and won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance.

Of course, there was no guarantee that “Hot In Herre” would repeat the commercial success of the Country Grammar tracks “Country Grammar (Hot Sh*t)” and “Ride wit Me.” However, Hip Hop legend Busta Rhymes apparently knew the single from the Nellyville album would be another smash.

“Busta heard it right away. He’s like, ‘What is that beat?! Oh, my God! Pharrell, you did that?!'” Nelly recalls on Untold Stories of Hip Hop with Angie Martinez. 

The St. Louis rapper continues to imitate Busta’s voice as he tells Martinez about the moment the Brooklyn spitter experienced “Hot In Herre” for the first time. Nelly adds, “‘You really gonna get women on the floor’ He didn’t say women, he said the b-word. ‘…taking off their clothes. This gonna be the most amazing, fabulastic sh*t ever!'” 

Untold Stories of Hip Hop airs Thursdays on WE tv at 10 pm ET/PT. Nelly, A$AP Rocky, Cardi B, and Trina sit down with Angie Martinez on tonight’s episode (October 17). 

In addition, Nelly will discuss who is really to blame for Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction.” Rocky is set to expose his wild sex life and criminal past. Cardi and Trina will talk about how going from rags-to-riches impacted their respective lives. 

J.I.D Reacts To A Concertgoer Being Offended By Oral Sex Lyric From ‘Never’

By: Yohance Kyles (@HUEYmixwitRILEY)Category: News

(AllHipHop News) Dreamville’s J.I.D is currently crisscrossing the country as part of Logic’s “The Confession Of A Dangerous Mind Tour.” Lyrics from his “Never” single seemed to bother at least one person inside Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Wednesday night.

“Was having fun at @JIDsv before @Logic301 until I heard this line…
‘what you call a chick that don’t suck d*ck? You don’t.’ Damn, do you realize that just killed the vibe of every self-respecting woman in the room? Something to consider… thought we were here in ☮️❤️& positivity,” read the tweet from @The_TCam.

Since J.I.D was tagged in the tweet, he saw the concertgoer’s criticism. The East Atlanta-bred emcee quoted the tweet and added, “Lmfaooo but what do u call a [self-respecting] woman who doesn’t consort in fallacious activity? It’s a. Joke bro, who cares.”

“Never” lives on the Spillage Village member’s debut studio album The Never Story. That 2017 project was followed by 2018’s DiCaprio 2. J.I.D was also one of the standout performers on Dreamville’s chart-topping Revenge of the Dreamers III compilation which was released earlier this year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2AXXT0hPD9

Cardi B Responds To People Questioning If She Is A Black Woman

By: Yohance Kyles (@HUEYmixwitRILEY)Category: News

(AllHipHop News) Back in June, Cardi B posted a video addressing her race and ethnicity. The Rhythm + Flow star said, “It’s like, ‘Cardi’s Latin, she’s not Black.’ And it’s like, ‘Bro, my features don’t come from f*cking white people f*cking, okay?’ And they always wanna race-bait when it comes to me. That’s why I have Afro features.”

This week, the Dominican/Trinidadian-American’s name was once again brought up in a discussion about race. Puerto Rican actress Gina Rodriguez had to apologize for rapping the word “n*gga” in an Instagram video, and some critics questioned why Cardi B is allowed to rap “n*gga” in songs but Rodriguez is being called out for saying it. 

There are Black people that believe only other Black people are permitted to use “n*gga” in any situation, so Cardi’s race and ethnicity play a part in the public perception about her lyrics. On Thursday morning, the entertainer born Belcalis Almánzar responded to a specific Twitter user that claimed she never accepted being a Black woman. Cardi asked, “How do you act like a Black woman? How do Black women act?”

Cardi then retweeted an old clip of herself talking about following “pro-Black pages” that taught her how to style her hair and embrace self-love. The new tweet read, “But the crazy sh*t is when I did videos like this, people used to say are you black ‘but you speak Spanish’ so I just started saying I’m [Carribean] cause [I] had to always argue and then people started claiming that I don’t claim my blackness. [It’s] like it’s always [an] L.”

In a separate tweet, the Grammy winner added, “And I don’t want to hear nobody saying this sh*t is new cause I [wasn’t] even [on] Love & Hip Hop had my f*cked up teeth, still stripping and living in the Bronx here.”

Nicki Minaj Walks Back Saying She Has A Collaboration With Adele

By: Yohance Kyles (@HUEYmixwitRILEY)Category: News

(AllHipHop News) Nicki Minaj had many of her Barbz in a frenzy this week. The “Megatron” rapper told Entertainment Tonight she had a special song coming with another music superstar.

“Adele made me swear to secrecy that I’m not allowed to tell anyone that I’m working with her and that we already shot a video. And it’s an epic song,” said Minaj.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Entertainment Tonight (@entertainmenttonight)

After news of the potential collaboration spread across the internet, Nicki hopped on Twitter to tamp down the excitement. She tweeted, “Omg guys. I thought everyone could clearly see I was being sarcastic. Sh*t! Now I have to go to Adele’s studio & steal some files. Who’s in the UK? I got a job for you .”

That clarification from Nicki Minaj caused some people to accuse the 36-year-old Queens native of clout chasing, essentially lying to get media attention. On the other hand, some of her supporters accepted the Adele comment was a joke and expressed that a song may now come together since Nicki talked about it in public.

F**K Actor Gina Rodriguez! Anti-Black Caught Saying N-Word!

By: IllseedCategory: Rumors

(AllHipHop Rumors) Gina Rodriguez has a relatively extensive history with “The Blacks.” I admit I block out a lot of racist BS I encounter so I don’t retain such negative energy. But she lingers! The actress is under fire for saying the N-Word in her IG live in a song by The Fugees. 

The Jane the Virgin star was rapping the Lauryn Hill part of “Ready or Not” as she got her hair done, but the part she put on IG got people p##### off. AND I SEE WHY! She raps “Voodoo, I could do what you do, believe me…N##### give me heebie-jeebies.” Now, he omitted the word “frontin'” which normally appears in the song, only to say “NI##AS GIVE ME HEEBIE JEEBIES…” She was definitely making a statement right there!

Look for yourself and you tell me!

https://twitter.com/ThePopHub/status/1184169741331681280

Now, if you have been accused of being anti-Black, wouldn’t you want to chill on using the N-Word in public and laughing about it? I think so! Wouldn’t you want to respect that group if you have any sort of respect for them, after said charges? Folks like Fat Joe have had similar accusations, but he is also deeply entrenched in our culture. And he’s bigger than me. LOL! 

Anyway, Gina has issued an apology.

“I just wanted to reach out and apologize. I am sorry if I offended anyone by singing along to the Fugees. to a song that I love, I grew up on. I love Lauryn Hill,” she said in another video. I still maintain she knew what she was doing. 

This is the most condescending “apology” ever.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Gangster Stabbed Over Tekashi 6ix9ine Trial Appeals Prison Sentence

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Exclusives

(AllHipHop News) A former gangster who renounced his membership in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods and was stabbed as a result, is challenging his recent conviction.

Less than a week after receiving his four-year sentence, Roland “Ro Murda” Martin is going to appeal Judge Paul Englemayer’s decision.

Ro Murda has hired a defense attorney named Michael S. Schachter to help him mount an appeal of the lengthy prison sentence.

Schachter is a partner at the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher who has represented some big clients, including a high profile case involving an Adidas executive involved in an NCAA recruitment strategy.

Last week, Roland “Ro Murda” Martin was sentenced to four years in prison for his involvement in a RICO case the Feds brought against Tekashi 6ix9ine and 11 other members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.

Ro Murda was convicted for his role committing crimes for the gang on behalf of Tekashi 6ix9ine and threatening the disgraced rapper’s rivals with violence.

On October 10th, Judge Paul Englemayer gave the former Nine Trey member 90 months, but he shaved 24 months off of Ro Murda’s sentence because he was stabbed several times in prison for leaving the gang.

Ro Murda is the second man charged in the RICO case to appeal his verdict.

Tekashi 6ix9ine’s former manager Kifano “Shotti” Jordan also hired a high-powered attorney who represented El Chapo to appeal his 15-year sentence. 

Jay Loud On His Journey From Struggles To Success

By: Shirley JuCategory: Features

Jay Loud arrives in Los Angeles with a 1K tattoo on his neck, standing for his realness and authenticity.

Jay Loud comes from Indiana but he relocated to Seattle.

The singer and rapper has been consistently dropping bangers for his growing fanbase, with the ability to switch up his style and sound at any given moment.

Most recently, the EMPIRE signee unleashed the visual for “Ice Cream Man,” a bop for all the females all across the world.

AllHipHop: For those who don’t know, who is Jay Loud?

Jay Loud: Jay Loud is a music artist who came from a long struggle. I’ve been through a lot of trials and tribulations. I’m not really someone who’s a music artist, I’m just someone who’s expressing my knowledge, my pain, and how I feel. I’m spreading it through music, spreading it through tunes.

AllHipHop: How would you describe your sound?

Jay Loud: You can’t describe it. You can’t really put a name on it, it’s just different styles. I can adapt to all types of different styles. It’s universal.

AllHipHop: Talk about being from Indiana & relocating to Seattle.

Jay Loud: I had a big transition because of the simple fact that I was going through a lot of things back home. It was a situation where I had no choice, it was an opportunity offered to me. I turned it down at first, then my family members spoke to me and said it’s a “dumb idea with the stuff you’re going through right now.” I’m like “why not? It’s nothing here for me.” So I took it. Basically was going through a hard, rough situation, got offered an opportunity and went with it.

AllHipHop: At what point did you realize this music thing was for real?

Jay Loud: Once I got down here and I got offered an opportunity to go to the studio. I was like “bet!” Once I got to the studio and did the song the way I did, the way I heard it come out, I’m like “oh yeah.” When he said “I’m gonna push behind this song, we gon’ release it,” I’m like “oh, it’s for real now.” Right then and there, my manager Taj was the one who said: “Yeah, we gon’ start off with you right now.” The song was “Lick,” my first official song I let out on December 31st of last year.

AllHipHop: Super recent. What were you doing before that?

Jay Loud: I was singing and rapping, just posting snippets. Amateur stuff basically. I was with a small group, we were going to travel to promote our music. But you know, some things just don’t work out.

AllHipHop: What does it mean to be part of the EMPIRE family?

Jay Loud: Honestly, it means a lot because I was not expecting this at all. It was so unexpected, never knew that anybody at any type of label would really be interested in me. Because I did music before and it didn’t really work out, so I’m like “eh.” I didn’t really have enough confidence. Then when I seen it was labels interested, I had A&Rs hitting me up in the DM. I’m like “nah they fake.” I go to their page, I’m like “oh this is real!”

AllHipHop: Damn, and you just started too!

Jay Loud: That’s why I was so skeptical about it, but it’s really surreal.

AllHipHop: Best memory from the “Ice Cream Man” video shoot?

Jay Loud: I gotta say the pool scene. [chuckles] Just a lot of things going on at the pool, that’s my favorite scene besides the whole ice cream truck and the acting. It was fun being able to play the part of Big Worm, just be a part of the whole scene of that movie. To actually play that out on camera and it has nothing to do with the actual movie [Friday]. We made it look real too, got the little actual perm and all that. We made it do what it do.

AllHipHop: Who’s in your Top 5?

Jay Loud: Roddy Ricch, off the bat. I had got introduced to Nip once I had got down here. I started really feeling Nip, I was really rocking with his music. I was really rocking with it for some reason. I gotta go with Bryson Tiller because I be singing his stuff most of the time. I’d say Tay-K. One more? I gotta make this count. I’d go with DaBaby. DaBaby got sauce, I like his flow.

Lizzo Of Accused Of Stealing #1 Song “Truth Hurts”

By: AllHipHop StaffCategory: News

(AllHipHop News) Lizzo is facing plagiarism accusations over her smash hit “Truth Hurts,” with songwriting brothers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen claiming they helped her write the song but received no credit.

Justin took to Instagram on Tuesday and said that he, Jeremiah, Lizzo, Jesse Saint John and Yves Rothman were in the siblings’ recording studio in April 2017 when they came up with a tune called Healthy.

As well as bearing numerous similarities to “Truth Hurts,” “Healthy” also included the famous line “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100 percent that b##ch” – which fans have been going wild for in recent chart-topper.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3oRS_0liE_

“We were never contacted about being credited for the use of the parts of ‘Healthy’ (melody, lyrics, and chords) that appear in ‘Truth Hurts,'” Justin wrote.

“After reaching out to (producer) Ricky Reed and Lizzo’s team about fixing it, we put the song in dispute in 2017 when it came out. We’ve tried to sort this out quietly for the last two years, only asking for 5 percent each but were shut down every time. Coming forward publicly to family, friends, artists, and colleagues seems to be the only way at this point in relieving some of our emotional distress caused by this.”

Following Justin’s allegation, Cynthia S. Arato, a lawyer for Lizzo, released a statement to the New York Times which read: “The Raisens are not writers of ‘Truth Hurts.’ They did not collaborate with Lizzo or anyone else to create this song, and they did not help write any of the material that they now seek profit from, which is why they expressly renounced any claim to the work, in writing, months ago.”

Arato’s statement refers to the fact that the Raisen brothers revoked their claim over “Truth Hurts” via their publisher Kobalt – further complicating the case.

Nicki Minaj’s Mom Can’t Believe Her Son Was Convicted Of Molesting Kid

By: AllHipHop StaffCategory: News

(AllHipHop News) Nicki Minaj’s brother could be heading to prison for the rest of his life.

Yesterday, Jelani Maraj made an appearance in court where a judge struck down his attempt to appeal a conviction for raping his stepdaughter.

According to Newsday, a judge ruled that Jelani Maraj has appeal failed to meet the burden of proof that any [juror] misconduct here created a significant risk that a substantial right of the defendant was prejudiced.”

In November of 2017, Maraj was found guilty of predatory sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child following a trial in New York relating to incidents with his stepdaughter, who was 11 at the time of the claims.

Jelani Maraj’s legal team claimed the whole ordeal was an attempt to extort $25 million from Nicki Minaj.

They also maintained one of the jurors declared Jelani must have been guilty since Nicki Minaj didn’t testify on his behalf.

The judge disagreed with Jelani Maraj’s assessment of the verdict and now he faces 25 years to life in prison.

Nicki Minaj’s mother Carol had some strong words for the judge after the verdict.

She claimed jurors admitted they were influenced by social media posts and news articles about the trial.

“The jurors admitted that they were swayed by TV, radio, the bloggers… listening to what the comments were. Can you tell me why juror misconduct was not proven today? … This is ridiculous,” Carol Maraj snapped.

According to Newsday, Jelani Maraj is already planning to appeal the ruling.

Doctor Orders Travis Scott To Get Surgery After Rolling Loud NYC Injury

By: AllHipHop StaffCategory: News

(AllHipHop News) Travis Scott is recovering after dislocating his knee during a set at the Rolling Loud festival in New York City at the weekend.

The rapper was performing “Butterfly Effect” onstage on Saturday night when he jumped up and landed awkwardly on his right knee, telling the crowd he thought he had broken it.

He continued performing but checked in with orthopedic specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache this week and was diagnosed with a dislocated knee.

Sources told TMZ Scott will undergo surgery to fix his injury, so he can get back on stage quickly.

News of the injury comes just weeks after Travis split from longtime girlfriend Kylie Jenner, the mother of his baby girl, Stormi.

A$AP Rocky Insists His Beef With Travis Scott Is Done

By: AllHipHop StaffCategory: News

(AllHipHop News) A$AP Rocky wants fans to know he has no beef with Travis Scott.

Following Rocky’s freestyle performance at Rolling Loud Festival in New York on Sunday – a day after the Astroworld star’s headlining set – fans had speculated the pair had reignited their feud.

Rocky spit the following bars: “Please don’t compare him and me / You offending me / This ain’t a diss and we ain’t enemies / They concerned with making hits, I’m more concerned with making history.”

But on Tuesday, Rocky, real name Rakim Athelaston Mayers, took to Twitter to dispel the rumors, writing: “THAT ME N TRAVIS BEEF S##T SO PLAYED OUT , LET IT GO.”

Rumors of a feud between Rocky and Scott have floated for years, with Travis lunging at a fan who called him “A$AP” in 2015, saying, “I’m not motherf##king A$AP, b##ch.”

The following year, a member of Rocky’s hip-hop collective A$AP Mob accused Scott of copying their crew’s style, which Rocky addressed in a radio interview, musing: “Let the people decide if he a biter or if he authentic.”

However, the pair seemed to patch things up, with Rocky commenting on his musical peer last year: “I think Travis Scott makes cool music. And he had a baby, I’m happy for that.”

Scott also joined the chorus of musicians calling for the No Limit star’s release when he was briefly jailed in Sweden earlier this year for assault.

Meanwhile, the Goosebumps star is recovering after dislocating his knee during his set at the festival, with reports suggesting he may need surgery to heal properly.