(AllHipHop News) “Take what the Forbes figured, then figure more,” rapped Jay-Z on his 2007 single “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)…” It appears two modern-day rap stars feel the same way about the publication’s latest “Highest-Paid Hip Hop Acts” list.
Forbes released their 2019 rankings this week. “On Me” collaborators Cardi B (#13, $28 million) and Meek Mill (#15, $21 million) both took to Twitter to dispute the amount of money connected to their respective names.
“Where do Forbes be getting they numbers from cause they way off? ,” tweeted Cardi. Meek posted, “The Forbes got our accounts f*cked up lol….”
Forbes placed Kanye West in first place on the 2019 “Highest-Paid Hip Hop Acts” list with a reported $150 million in pretax income. Jay-Z took the runner-up position with $81 million, and Drake closed out the Top 3 with $75 million.
Where do Forbes be getting they numbers from cause they way off ?🧐
(AllHipHop News) Once again, accounts of Daniel “Tekashi 6ix9ine” Hernandez’s testimony in federal court lit up the internet. His most recent round on the stand led to several trending topics because the government witness talked about the association between the Nine Trey Bloods and rappers.
6ix9ine apparently named Dipset’s Jim Jones as a member of the New York City gang. There were also reports that the “Fefe” performer testified that Cardi B was part of the alleged criminal organization.
However, Tekashi declaring Cardi was a Nine Trey Blood is fake news. Complex published transcripts from the trial, and the section where 6ix9ine discussed Cardi does not show him affirming that the rapstress was affiliated with that particular Blood set.
Defense attorney Alex Huot asked a line of questions that tried to establish whether Hernandez claimed the Nine Trey Bloods as a way to advance his music career. Huot mentioned Cardi in order to see if 6ix9ine was aware that she was a Blood gang member that achieved success as an entertainer.
6ix9ine admitted he did know that Cardi B was a Blood. However, he never specifically stated that she was connected to Nine Trey, the particular alleged Blood set of 6ix9ine and defendants Anthony “Harv” Ellison and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack.
Tekashi 6ix9ine was described as the prosecution’s “star witness” in the case against Ellison and Mack. The 23-year-old Brooklyn rhymer claimed they were involved in kidnapping, robbing, and assaulting him in 2018.
Ellison and Mack pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, robbery, and firearm federal charges. Hernandez pleaded guilty in a federal racketeering case. He agreed to cooperate with prosecutors for leniency in his sentencing.
Cardi B has openly discussed being part of the Bloods gang at one point in her life. The Grammy winner supposedly claimed the Brim set, not Nine Trey. She even referenced the Blood gang in her lyrics and music videos.
“When I was 16 years old, I used to hang out with a lot of… Bloods. I used to pop off with my homies. And they’d say, ‘Yo, you really get it poppin.’ You should come home. You should turn Blood.’ And I did. Yes, I did,” said Cardi in a 2018 GQ feature. The “Bodak Yellow” hitmaker also told the magazine that she moved away from the Brims at 19 after becoming an exotic dancer.
The woman born Belcalis Almánzar added, “When I was a stripper, I didn’t give a f*ck about gangs, because I was so focused on making money… You could talk to somebody that is considered Big Homie and they will tell you: ‘Don’t join a gang.’ The person that I’m under, she would tell you, ‘Don’t join a gang.’ It’s not about violence. It’s just like – it doesn’t make your money. It doesn’t make your money. I rep it, because I been repping it for such a long time.”
(AllHipHop Features) The UrbanWorld Film Festival kicked off with a bang, a bang of freedom. The highly touted film “Harriet” was the centerpiece of the launch, which tells the tale of Harriet Tubman. Tubman was an abolitionist, activist and American hero.
The film’s director Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou, Black Nativity) described Tubman as one of “America’s first superhero” on the opening night of UrbanWorld, which was buzzing around the red carpet. The UrbanWorld Film Festival is one of the largest internationally competitive festivals of its kind. The festival curates a slate of films representing the broadest spectrum of films and movies for people of color.
The film stars Cynthia Erivo (Windows, Bad Times at the El Royale) and delves deep into the genocidal, America institution known as slavery. Erivo’s portrayal of Harriet is rooted in an unwavering need to free her family and other enslaved Africans from the horrors of American Slavery. The performances of all parties, including Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, and Janelle Monáe, were remarkable and will undeniably evoke emotions that will feel palpable coming off the screen to moviegoers.
Harriet offers a layered, nuanced heroine that will compliment the version most people have learned. Refreshingly and fortunately, this film is not a depiction of the brutal physical horrors of slavery that has been seen repeatedly in other movies. Instead, Harriet thoroughly examines the psyche of a woman who bravely navigates her instincts and emotions, willing to sacrifice her life in doing so.
Most superheroes wear a brightly colored outfit and have superhuman powers, however Harriet clearly shows another sort of super being. Harriet Tubman’s cape is exhibited through courage and the power of love.
Here are some pictures from the night with Cynthia Erivo, lead actress (in yellow), Kasi Lemmons, the director (in glasses) and Deborah Martin-Chase, the executive producer (is in all black).
(AllHipHop News) Nicki Minaj is looking to inspire women to embrace their curves with her sexy new swimwear line.
The rapper recently joined forces with bosses at Fendi for the collection and made sure to include pieces that celebrate women of all shapes and sizes.
“I want to make clothes that make girls with my body look sexy,” she told Elle. “We’re in a new time, where you don’t have to feel bad if you’re not the tiniest you’ve ever been.”
The “Anaconda” hitmaker also wants women to be less harsh on themselves when it comes to weight gain, something she admits she herself has struggled with.
“What I want (to tell) girls is not necessarily, ‘Go and gain weight and have a big booty,’ but ‘If you do have curves, be proud of it, flaunt it – love the skin you’re in.’ As cliched as that sounds, I’ve been really trying to teach myself that. ‘This is who I am; take me or leave me, bye!”‘
And Minaj hopes to take her fashion venture a step further by one day launching her own clothing line.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes!” she shares when asked if she’d like to have her own collection. “Yeses across the board, okay? I’ve been really strategic and picky on purpose, turning some things down and waiting for the right opportunities. Once people see that you have selling power and you are able to impact a brand in such a positive way, then I think it’s only a matter of time.
“The Fendi collection alone made me feel like I would love to continue doing this – getting to that boss status. That’s where I would like to take fashion, for sure.”
Following his passing, his mother Sheila Ward was named the executor of the estate.
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, John’s 21-year-old daughter Cleopatra has filed a petition requesting a monthly allowance of $2,778, because she claims her dad used to cover her bills and expenses because she’s a student.
She is also asking for a one-time payment of $4,150 to cover her study abroad program.
Cleopatra claims she’s struggled to keep up with her finances since her father’s death, and suggested it could take at least another year until the estate works out how to distribute John’s fortune.
The late director’s daughter previously filed papers objecting to her grandmother being placed in charge of the estate and accused her of trying to cut the children out following her father’s death.
(AllHipHop News) Nicki Minaj can’t wait to release her “fierce, fun, and unapologetic” new album.
The rapper, 36, is expected to drop the follow-up to last year’s Queen later this year.
And speaking in the October issue of Elle U.S. magazine, the “Super Bass” hitmaker confessed she’s “excited” for fans to hear her new music.
“It’s probably the most excited I’ve been about an album release in a really long time,” Nicki shared. “I’m happy that we’re not making my fans wait for another album like I’ve done in the past.”
Nicki famously made fans wait four years between her third album The Pinkprint and it’s follow-up Queen and teased the new release will be reflective of her entire career to date.
“This one incorporates all the things people love about Nicki, but it also just has a way bigger sound, so it goes perfectly with the collection,” she explained.
The comments come after the “Megatron” hitmaker shared a tweet earlier this month informing fans she was shunning the spotlight, writing: “I’ve decided to retire & have my family.”
However, the musician, who was rumored to have wed beau Kenneth Petty last month, later backtracked on the remark, admitting the tweet was “abrupt and insensitive,” adding: “I’m still right here.
“Still madly in love with you guys & you know that. In hindsight, this should’ve been a Queen Radio discussion & it will be,” Nicki continued. “I promise u guys will be happy. No guests, just us talking about everything.”
Having been in the music industry for over a decade and bringing valuable game to anybody who crosses paths with him, Sy Ari found Paxquiao through doing video shoots with a mutual friend named Showtime, but he’s known Pax since he was a teenager. This was 9 or 10 years ago, and Pax wasn’t even an artist at the time.
Speaking on what made him become an artist, Pax states, “Just going through real-life situations. I’d use them as a journal and the music started coming out fire.”
AllHipHop caught up with the Atlanta natives at OG King Louie’s studio in downtown Los Angeles to discuss the new project.
AllHipHop: Congrats on 2 Sides of a Story, what’s one thing you want fans to get from this one?
Sy Ari: Both perspectives. Sonically and cadence-wise, the marriage sounds good musically. Our storylines, it’s bigger than me being from the Northside and him being from the Southside. Our perspectives are still different even though we’re both from some kind of the bottom coming up. The way I tell my story — we’re 2 totally different people. We just want people to get to know us through the music. How I am and how he is, we ain’t the same. A lot of people that collab, you hear the same s##t over and over. No offense to that! You see a movie where Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson are both great actors, but 2 different flavors. Either scene you get, you entertained.
AllHipHop: What’s the difference between the Southside & Northside?
Sy Ari: We better.
Paxquiao: The Southside more lit! We have more motion, all that.
Sy Ari: I feel like we on the come up. Our side’s always been the underdogs. People don’t even claim the Northside for real. Eastside, Westside, whatever. Everybody done moved to the Northside, they know that. It’s improving.
AllHipHop: Talk about getting DaBaby on “One Phone Call.” Was that done in the studio?
Sy Ari: We did that at 11th Street Studios, but he was locked up at the time. Pax did that hook and his first verse at Means Street Studios, then I did my verse at the crib. When I knew DaBaby was coming, we linked up. We know some of the same folks. I played some songs for DaBaby and he picked that one. Did it on the spot.
AllHipHop: What’s the dynamic in the studio?
Sy Ari: I like how he record, he gets right to it. His punching pattern was different — I didn’t expect him to record like that. Then seeing he keeps his ad-libs as loud as his lead. That’s another thing that makes him sound unique to me, even though the flow pattern is similar for today. The way he records is different, which is why he stands out. Chemistry was good though. We got in, handled business, got up out of there. It was a good vibe.
AllHipHop: “Where The Love Go” is super personable. Talk about the reality of the streets & turning to music.
Paxquiao: I ain’t even gon’ lie, I wrote the first half while I was locked up. That came from real-life experiences. You can tell from the lyrics. I gotta take cold showers, run extension cords across the hall when we need some more power, all that lame s##t.
AllHipHop: You said “I lost my dawg,” who’d you lose?
Paxquiao: My dawg Slim Dunkin, rest in peace. Long live. That’s dedicated to him.
AllHipHop: Sy, what did it mean to have your daughter in the shot?
Sy Ari: It’s funny ‘cause she was coming to town to see me, so I just put her in the scene for real. I was holding her up, her mama had just dropped her off. We were shooting on the Eastside in the hood, so I’m not about to let her walk around. I had her in my arms during my scene. He got his mom in the video, eating ramen noodles and s##t.
AllHipHop: What does mama think of the rap career?
Paxquiao: She loves that s##t. She already sent the video to all her friends, everybody on Facebook, all that s##t. She’s my biggest fan.
AllHipHop: Artists tend to have their own favorites on the project, what songs mean the most to you?
Sy Ari: Probably “Where The Love Go.” “Submissive” for real though, because I’m a little freaky. I love the ladies. [chuckles]
Paxquiao: That one, and “Rolling Loud” too. It’s just another vibe. Depending on what type of vibe I want to be on, it’s either gonna be “Where The Love Go” or “Rolling Loud.” “Rolling Loud” got that edge on it.
AllHipHop: Best memory recording the project?
Sy Ari: When we did “One Phone Call” because if you have a homie in jail, he’s looking for some type of good information to brighten his day while he’s in there. So when Pax called while DaBaby was doing his verse, I even told Diana “don’t tell him yet.” Then I’m like “damn, my n##ga sounds like he needs to hear some good s##t,” so I told him. That was one of the best memories of the project for real because we knew he was about to get bailed out soon. Every song had its moments, I love how everything came together for real.
AllHipHop: Pax, biggest lesson learned in jail?
Paxquiao: Go with your first instinct, your gut feeling. That’s really what I got from it. Everything happens for a reason so I ain’t really mad or nothing. Everybody always got that feeling, that little voice in the head to tell them something, but we tend to go against it sometimes. I know now to always listen to that voice and go with that feeling.
AllHipHop: What are some goals for yourselves at this point in her career?
Sy Ari: Getting back on the road. I love being on tour. When you come to the stage, not many can perform as good as me. I’ve been on stage with the dopest artists, they got all that production and dancers behind them — I ain’t really had all that yet. I’ve been on tours where people are like “you were the best on stage, and I just met you tonight!” Making sure Pax gets on the road, he ain’t been on a tour yet. Some of them accolades: Grammys! I’m done getting plaques from placements on other n##ga’s album, that s##t weak to me. I want that s##t for my project. It just don’t feel the same. It’s cool but at the end of the day, I want that s##t for my music. If the artist don’t have me hands-on with the project, it don’t really count to me.
Paxquiao: I have the same goals. I want some Grammys too. I really want to go on this road and start touring, get a taste of this tour life. I want to get into these festivals. I want to touch different genres of music, I’m ready to have fun with the music.
AllHipHop: Sy, are you still songwriting?
Sy Ari: I mean, I write my s##t. You know what’s funny? I never physically got a plaque for coming in writing. Every song I ever got a placement for, it was my song and I gave them the song. I don’t work for these n##gas. But you can call me over and we vibe, then you say “I like that song, let me get that!” That’s how I get my placements. These other n##gas, they ghostwrite. They like to get babied like that. But me, you can buy the song off me. It’s the only way I’ll do it. I’m not going through no A&R at a writing camp, submitting 100 songs. I’m more like “suck my d##k, come holla at me.”
AllHipHop: Anything you want to let us know?
Sy Ari: Two Sides of a Story out now! This s##t is just a preview. I might drop a secret hip-hop album, and I’m dropping the last Heartbreak.
AllHipHop: Why the last one?
Sy Ari: I’ve had a long series of them s##ts. I consider B4 The Heartbreak the real first one. It’s like when they had all the Batmans, and then Batman Begins. This is my third Heartbreak, Im’a call it the last one. I want to control the crowd, I could make another after this if I want to. I want them to feel “oh this n##ga might dip after this” type s##t.
(AllHipHop News) DMX is back home with Def Jam Records, the recording label and brand that helped make him a super star, AllHipHop has learned exclusively.
Sources with Def Jam have revealed that the deal was made this year and the rapper will likely return with a Christmas album, titled DMX-Mas. Because of timing, the album could come out this year, but could possibly drop in 2020.
DMX was released from a West Virginia prison in January of this year after he was imprisoned for tax evasion since 2018. The rapper, 48, has stayed on a positive path that has lead to a string of shows, concerts. The Yonkers native most recently joined Swizz Beatz and Rick Ross a song “Just In Case” from the Godfather of Harlem soundtrack.
The rapper, born Earl Simmons, saw his greatest success with Def Jam. His debut album It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot dropped in 1998, selling multi-platinum. His best selling album was …And Then There Was X, which moved platinum six times over. Historically speaking, he is
Beyond music, DMX has been featured in Def Jam-themed video games, movies like the cult classic Belly and even published a book of his memoirs, E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX.
The source said that the label would be active and hands on with the rapper who has had numerous personal challenges and stints in jail.
DMX remains as one of the Top 10 most selling rappers of all time, regardless of his issues.
(AllHipHop News) Tekashi 6ix9ine spent the third day spilling his guts on the stand throughout the trial of two alleged Nine Trey Gangsta Blood members.
Both men are accused of committing violent acts around New York with 6ix9ine’s former manager, Kifano “Shotti” Jordan, who is currently serving a 15-year sentence after pleading guilty to numerous RICO charges and almost a dozen other men.
Today (September 19), 6ix9ine threw Jim Jones under the bus when he referred to him a “retired rapper” who was an active member of the Nine Trey.
6ix9ine also confessed he brokered a deal to traffick a kilo of heroin deal into Bushwick in August of 2017, right around the time he was earning hundreds-of-thousands of dollars a month from his music and shows.
Tekashi started cooperating with federal prosecutors one day after his arrest on RICO charges in November 2018.
The rapper decided to cooperate with the Feds and testify against the Bloods, a gang Tekashi said hundreds of thousands of active members.
The rapper, who was looking at a minimum of 47 years in prison, admitted he was after a 5K letter from the judge to get a reduced sentence for helping prosecutors.
“It has the good bad and the ugly about me. The Judge gets it, and can go under the mandatory minimum. Like, time served,” Tekashi 6ix9ine said.
The trial is expected to wrap up next Wednesday (September 27).
(AllHipHop News) The man who U.S. leader Donald Trump called on to negotiate A$AP Rocky’s release from a Swedish jail has been hired as the President’s new National Security Adviser.
Robert O’Brien replaces John Bolton and becomes the fourth man to take on the role during Trump’s presidency.
Confirming the news via Twitter on Wednesday Trump wrote: “I am pleased to announce that I will name Robert C. O’Brien, currently serving as the very successful Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at the State Department, as our new National Security Advisor. I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!”
Trump dispatched O’Brien to Sweden to follow the criminal case against A$AP Rocky, who was ultimately found guilty of assault in August.
(AllHipHop News) Murder Inc. boss Irv Gotti has confirmed he is working on a new movie about the Supreme Team.
Last week, Chris Gotti claimed actor Jamie Foxx was on board to star as Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff in a new movie about the drug dealing crew from Queens, New York.
Chris Gotti told The Outlaws Radio Show on iHeartRadio that Jamie Foxx was confirmed for the untitled movie, which would center around the drug-dealing operations of the Supreme Team in Queens, New York.
Fellow Southside, Queens New York rapper 50 Cent has been feuding with Irv Gotti, Ja Rule and Kenneth McGriff for over two decades, rooted in part over an infamous incident in 2000, when 50 Cent was shot nine times.
50 got wind of the news and chimed in, claiming he blocked Jamie Foxx from starring in the flick saying he was producing his own movie with a member of the Supreme Team, James “Bimmy” Antney.
However, Irv Gotti just fired back at 50, saying he had the exclusive rights to the Supreme Team story, sanctioned by Kenneth McGriff himself.
“Coming Soon The Supreme Team Documentary and The Supreme Team Movie. 2020!! It’s coming!!” Irv Gotti said on IG.
He also said he and Kenneth McGriff were executive producing a new conceptual album to accompany both projects.
“And please don’t get it f##ked up. I am the only person that can make these projects with the full blessing of PREME. Period. Don’t believe anything else,” Irv Gotti said, before wishing Supreme a happy birthday.
It’s OUR Culture Too: Women in Hip-Hop Deserve Better.
I remember being a kid, riding in my mom’s car and listening to the radio. I remember all of the classic hits of the 80s. I still remember how I felt the first time I heard, “My A.D.I.D.A.S.” But most clearly of all, I remember the first time I saw the video for “Push It.”
I remember it feeling so good and so special to not just hear, but see girls… rapping. They were good too, so pretty, with their unique haircuts and clothes. Literally, every girl I knew got an asymmetric haircut after that. Salt-n-Pepa gave girls who were falling in love with hip-hop hope. They gave us reassurance that our voices mattered in this thing that was supposed to be the voice of the streets.
Dear Lord Jamar, How could Hip-Hop be the voice of the streets without women? Do you not think that we walk those very same streets? We struggled too. We hustled too. Hell, the biggest dope dealer I ever knew was a girl named Pig. Her name didn’t fit her, she was actually really pretty and you should have seen her tearing up Detroit streets in that Mustang 5.0.
It is more than sexist to erase women from Hip-Hop culture. To say that our words don’t matter because you can’t relate to them. That is more than sexist, it is, in fact, a form of violence. It is a deliberate erasure.
It is violent to talk about how this culture emerged in the South Bronx in the late 70s and 80s among a recession and a drug epidemic as if there were no women there. No women affected. As if our stomachs didn’t rumble, and our daddies didn’t leave. It is violent to act like our schools weren’t also f**ked up, that our momma’s didn’t smoke rocks, our friends didn’t get shot.
To be erased from our own history is a violent crime, and it is not one that we are going to allow to happen. We will not allow ourselves to be erased from a culture that WE helped to build. I mean, for God’s sake…it was Kool Herc’s SISTER who threw that party on August 11, 1973!
We are here. We have always been here. This is OUR culture too.
The biggest slight against female rappers in 2019 is to say that they are, “all rapping about the same thing.” It is to say that their celebration of their sexuality, their hustle…it is boring. As if we haven’t heard 50,000 songs about women and weed.
For men to say that they can’t relate to a rapper who is female is oxymoronic, because then, why do WE listen to you? Why do we love the culture? Why is it that we can enjoy listening to you, but you can’t enjoy listening to us?
How ironic to be shut out of a culture that, in fact, refers to itself as HER.
Hip-Hop ignores the voices, input, and contributions of women so consistently. Embracing sexism as the worst of its American qualities, (the other being hardcore capitalism). Most African tribes were matrilineal. The words, thoughts, teachings of women were exceedingly important. So, no… Lord Jamar, you are not standing in righteousness when you ignore us. You are instead, whitemanning hard than a mf.
In my friend Kathy Iandoli’s new book, God Save the Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop, she combines both a chronological and topical approach to writing about the history of women in hip-hop. Kathy herself both a woman and white, has had her own struggles loving this culture. In the prologue, she talks about the first time she was called a “c**t” on live radio. To be a woman in this industry is to be consistently assaulted verbally, trust me. Latifah didn’t ask, “Who You Callin’ a B####?,” for no reason.
Kathy Iandoli is a noted Hip-Hop journalist with over 15 years of experience in the industry. Her contributions to a variety of media outlets lend themselves to the importance of the book. Kathy has written for VIBE, The Source, XXL, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Cosmopolitan, Vice, and more. Her writing has contributed immeasurably to Hip-Hop’s lexicon.
In writing God Save the Queens, Kathy finally does what dozens of histories of Hip-Hop have never even attempted, telling the stories of women in the genre. Jeff Chang’s Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop has been considered one of the definitive histories of Hip-Hop culture, and it decisively excludes the histories of women except in their role to complement male rappers. The same is even more true for newer books like The Rap Yearbook by Shea Serrano.
Without God Save the Queens, it is possible that the contributions of dozens of important female hip-hop artists who have sold tens of millions of albums, starred in monumental films, and influenced the direction of the culture would continue to go unrecognized.
In her book, Kathy talks about history, her own experiences, and some opinions about how and why women in this industry win and lose. About how they struggle and suffer, about being underpaid, and oversexualized. Through exclusive interviews with female rap legends, Kathy is able to provide insight into the inner workings of the early days of the industry. In the book, Monie Love talks about beef among female rappers, “I want to be fair by saying there was beef amongst us back then,” but, she explains, “to shut down somebody else behind closed doors was not ever a thought that crossed any female’s mind.”
The book is well-written and explores women in Hip-Hop from every part of the country.
God Save the Queens takes the reader on a journey from Hip-Hop’s earliest days to it’s most recent. Near the end of the book, Kathy talks about an upstart rapper who is the daughter of a female rapper, Megan Thee Stallion is the daughter of the late Holly Thomas, who rapped under the name Holly-Wood.
It is a full circle story. Meg’s and the book’s.
God Save the Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop is an urgently needed history of the women who are an inextricable part of this amazing culture. In a year where Joe Budden came in #3 on every list of top rappers and Missy dropped a project for the first time in 14 years. There has never been a more important time to remind the world that it was and still is like James Brown, the most sampled artist ever in hip-hop once sang, “This is a man’s world… but it wouldn’t be nothin…NOTHIN without a woman or a girl.”
Biba Adams is a Senior Contributing Writer for AllHipHop.com. Her work has appeared in VIBE, Revolt, Ebony, and more. She is currently back in her hometown of Detroit writing about food, culture, and her city while procrastinating on a novel, about… Hip-Hop.
(AllHipHop News) Taylor Swift has gone into astonishing detail about her feud with Kanye West in a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine, admitting she gave the rapper several chances to redeem himself before accepting his “two-faced” nature.
Following the incident, the pair began to “reconnect,” which Taylor admitted, “felt great – because all I ever wanted my whole career after that thing happened in 2009 was for him to respect me.”
Adding that she and Kanye would “go to dinner” and he “would say really nice things about my music,” Taylor explained: “It just felt like I was healing some childhood rejection or something from when I was 19.”
However, when Taylor was asked to present the rapper with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2015 VMAs, things took a turn for the worst when the Yeezy mogul declared in his acceptance speech.
“MTV got Taylor Swift up here to present me this award for ratings!”
“I’m standing in the audience with my arm around his wife, and this chill ran through my body,” Taylor told the publication. “I realized he is so two-faced… I was so upset.”
She declined, but Kanye used it anyway, which was the last straw for the “Shake It Off” star.
“When I heard the song, I was like, ‘I’m done with this. If you want to be on bad terms, let’s be on bad terms, but just be real about it’,” Taylor said.
(AllHipHop News) Kanye West made over $150 million in pretax income from June 2018 to June 2019, according to Forbes. That total puts the Adidas Yeezy brand architect in the #1 spot on the business magazine’s list of “Highest-Paid Hip Hop Acts” for the first time.
Roc Nation boss Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter came in second with $81 million. OVO Sound megastar Drake (#3, $75 million), Revolt founder Sean “Diddy” Combs (#4, $70 million), and AstroWorld album creator Travis Scott (#5, $58 million) round out the Top 5.
Migos’ $36 million haul was enough for the Atlanta trio to be the only group on the Forbes list at #9. Musician/actor Donald Glover (#10, $35 million) made his first appearance this year.
Nicki Minaj was the highest-ranking female rapper (#12, $29 million). The Queens, New York native was followed closely by “Bodak Yellow” hitmaker Cardi B (#13, $28 million). Cardi, 26, is the youngest artist in the 2019 rankings.
(AllHipHop News) Jeffrey “Ja Rule” Atkins purchased The New York Stars franchise in the Women’s Football League Association. The 32-franchise WFLA is being touted as one of the first women’s football organizations to pay its athletes.
“These ladies have been fighting for a long time on the football field, playing for several years and for several organizations from earning absolutely no salary to paying to play,” said CEO Lupe Rose during a keynote speech in MGM Las Vegas.
She continued, “I have had an [overwhelmingly] positive response from other athletes, coaches and organizations who want to participate in making history with the first-ever Professional Womens football organization.”
The WFLA is preparing for their next scouting combine in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 19. The league is also expected to hold meet-and-greet events and after-parties.
“CEO Rose is doing this right,” explains Ja Rule. “I had to support this women’s business powerhouse SHE is building, and as a huge football fan, I think the world has been waiting to watch Women’s Professional Football nationally for centuries.”
Rose added, “I will continue to fight the good fight for our women with every breath I take to organize, establish, and build this entertainment powerhouse to the highest height.”
The WFLA is expected to launch in Fall 2020 with each team playing 18 games over an 18-week period. The regular season will be followed by four Wild Card playoff games, four Divisional Round games, two Conference Championship games, and the Diamond Bowl.
(AllHipHop News) Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker is stepping into the shoes of legendary New York City gangster Bumpy Johnson for the upcoming EPIX drama Godfather Of Harlem. The period piece centers around the Charles “Lucky” Luciano associate’s return to his old neighborhood after serving time in prison.
Additionally, Godfather Of Harlem showcases the relationship between Bumpy Johnson and Muslim minister/political activist Malcolm X. AllHipHop spoke to Forest Whitaker about discovering the alliance between the two 1960s-era figures.
“I had not been completely aware of the connection between Malcolm and Bumpy Johnson. That was something that I was learning as we were doing the research to get ready to do the project. And it grew and grew and grew and grew,” explained Whitaker.
The Black Panther star continued, “So that was interesting to me on a number of levels. I think one is when people are trying to rise up in a community where they feel like they have no options, what are their choices to be able to be successful. In another, what these two different men with different philosophies are doing in their minds, they uplift themselves.”
Malcolm X faced alleged death threats from the Nation of Islam, a religious organization he once served as an influential leader. The man later known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz was also under constant surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“It was really interesting because I guess there was a story that they told me that Bumpy had surrounded Malcolm with people as his bodyguard to protect him during a period of time,” Whitaker tells AllHipHop. “And Malcolm said, ‘I can’t do that one anymore. I can’t be represented, I can’t be connected to you.’ And [Bumpy] took those guys away about two weeks before Malcolm was killed. So that was really a striking thing that was said to me during that time.”
Godfather of Harlem is scheduled to premiere September 29 at 10 pm ET. The ten-episode series also features Vincent D’Onofrio, Ilfenesh Hadera, Nigel Thatch, Paul Sorvino, Giancarlo Esposito, Lucy Fry, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Antoinette Crowe-Legacy. Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein wrote and executive produced the program. Forest Whitaker is credited as an executive producer as well.
“Meet Us Outer Space” was created by Drego and Beno to get listeners lifted on life and take them higher, as in bringing them into their altered reality where troubles don’t exist.
As products of the hood, Drego and Beno make music that speaks of their reality, which is reaching the marginalized outsiders, the individuals who remain trapped in the struggle.
Featuring production from Jetson (Dababy “Suge”), Damedot, Poohbeats, Drego, Jose da Plug, and Trauma Tone Drego and Beno and hopped in “another bag” sonically trying out some melodies and auto tune while still sticking with they’re signature back and forth bar for bar slimed out Bravado.
Drego and Beno aspire to be the voice of their era that shines light on the pain, while also exposing the pleasure of what belief in one’s self looks like.
Meet Us Outer Space is available on all streaming platforms via TF Circle ENT/Empire.
(AllHipHop News) Many OutKast fans have been wishing that André 3000 would finally release his own solo project. 3 Stacks supporters got a glimmer of hope when Inglewood rapper Thurz told the Home Grown Radio show an André album was in the works.
Unfortunately, that may not be the case. 3K’s Dungeon Family comrades Big Boi and Sleepy Brown were asked about Thurz’s accidental André 3000 revelation.
“Lies… Dré was probably playing some music, but he’s not working on a record,” OutKast member Big Boi told Ryan Cameron Uncensored Speak. “He’s been recording songs for years. Kinda recording, kinda just stacking up. A structured record? Nah, not yet.”
Sleepy Brown added, “The story is that he was in the studio with Anderson .Paak when Anderson .Paak was working on his thing and he played him some songs to see if he wanted to work on one of them. I guess [Thurz] was in there [and] heard the songs.” Big Boi later said, “Dré is in Philly shooting a TV show [Dispatches from Elsewhere] right now.”
André 3000 did make a guest appearance on Anderson .Paak’s Ventura track “Come Home.” Over the last several years, the enigmatic emcee has also shown up on songs by Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest, Frank Ocean, Solange, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, and others.
(AllHipHop News) Over the last two days,Daniel “Tekashi 6ix9ine” Hernandez testified in federal court about a wide range of topics allegedly connected to the Nine Trey Bloods gang in New York City. Hernandez has been called the “star witness” for the prosecution’s case against Anthony “Harv” Ellison and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack.
“As alleged in the Superseding Indictment, Aljermiah Mack, like his Nine Trey co-conspirators, engaged in brazen acts of gun violence and narcotics dealing. Thanks to our remarkable partners at HSI, ATF, and the NYPD, he now faces federal charges for his serious crimes,” stated U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman.
Ellison and Mack are on trial for conspiracy, robbery, and firearm charges. They are also accused of kidnapping and robbing 6ix9ine in 2018. The defendants’ legal team claimed the incident was actually set-up by the “Fefe” rapper to promote his music career.
Footage of the alleged incident has made its way to YouTube. In the video, the person credited as Tekashi can be heard saying, “I’ll give you everything. I promise you, Harv.”
In another section of the clip, 6ix9ine seems to admit to being scared and mentions the word extortion. Ellison allegedly forced 6ix9ine into another vehicle before someone identified as “Sha” assaulted him.
According to reports, Tekashi described the kidnapping in court on Wednesday. He is quoted saying, “We came to an agreement. If I gave them the jewelry they would let me go.”
Hernandez testified that the kidnappers drove him back to his Bedford-Stuyvesant home, and Sha went inside to retrieve the jewelry. However, instead of letting him go, the Brooklyn native said they drove him around for a few more blocks before he escaped and was able to jump into the backseat of a random car stopped nearby.
They grabbed the jewelry. I was expecting to be let out of the car. But Harv just keep driving. They let me out right behind Smurf Village. Harv said, Get out the car. I said no, if I get out you gonna shoot me in my back. Harv: get the f*ck out of the car.
#6ix9ine: After Harv drove away I told the guy to drop me at the precinct, by Quincy.
I asked for medical assistance. I went to Kings County Hospital. Shotti got me discharged. He took me to somewhere in Long Island, a hospital. CAT scan. Concussion medication.
Reportedly, 6ix9ine also used his time on the stand to inform the court about rival Hip Hop artists Michael “Trippie Redd” White IV and Caswell “Casanova” Senior. Hernandez’s role as a cooperating witness for the government led to judgment from some rap fans and industry figures.
Tekashi’s “Kika” collaborator chose not to throw the Brooklynite under the bus during an interview with Complex News. In fact, Tory Lanez expressed support for his friend.
“As a person, and regardless of whatever he did, I kinda miss that guy. That was my n*gga. He was a funny guy,” said Lanez about 6ix9ine. He added, “I don’t really give a f*ck how people view me. N*ggas don’t like me already. God forbid, I kill somebody tomorrow, and I go to jail, and y’all look at me as a murderer for the rest of my life, that doesn’t change the songs that I made.”
Apparently, Tory caught significant backlash for his comments. The 27-year-old Toronto representative addressed the negative reaction on his Instagram page.
“Showing LOVE to somebody who you made records with is VERY different than CONDONING [SOMEONE’S] ACTIONS … y’all blogs can CHOP up the interview and make sh*t seem interesting for your fans … but watch the whole interview … and don’t try to get me caught up in nun of that. FOH,” posted Lanez.
