(AllHipHop News) Jada Pinkett Smith’s name is the #1 trending topic on Twitter this morning. A lot of social media users are discussing the actress/media personality’s alleged romantic relationship with August Alsina.
The rumors began circulating on the platform again after Alsina’s interview with The Breakfast Club‘s Angela Yee went viral. During the Q&A, the singer appeared to confirm that he did date Pinkett Smith at some point.
“I actually sat down with [Jada’s husband Will Smith] and had a conversation due to the transformation from their marriage to life partnership that they’ve spoken on several times and it not involving romanticism. He gave me his blessing,” Alsina told Yee.
Pinkett Smith is now reportedly denying that she and Alsina were ever involved in a non-platonic way. Page Six posted an article where the outlet claimed a representative for the Red Table Talk host stated the allegations were “absolutely not true.”
The speculation of a possible intimate relationship involving August Alsina and Jada Pinkett Smith first peaked back in 2019 when Alsina released a song titled “Nunya.” Listeners assumed the record was a confession about the New Orleans native being in love with the married woman.
Alsina responded by writing, “The Song is not about Jada. It’s simply JUST A SONG, & a free artistic expression of a made up narrative already put in place by its ORIGINAL format. Thank you for all of your love around the music & more is to come but please know that Me & my BEST (@jadapinkettsmith)are good!!! & We will always be, 4Life! We’ve been talking eryday while all this has taken place. Now yal stop trippin’. lol ..U know We got BiG ❤️LoVe for the Goddess over on this side.
(AllHipHop Rumors) All the sudden people are talking about Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Honestly, I am not sure what the big deal is. Because what is coming out is already been confirmed. August Alsina is talking about his relationship with Jada Pinkett. And I thought we all were on the same page about this but it seems we are not. What had happened was… August Alsina was Jada Pinkett‘s cordon “boy toy and her actual relationship outside of her partnership with Will Smith. I thought we all knew this. But I think what has people talking so much is that August is opening up about it. he is talking a lot and making people wonder why there wasn’t some sort of NDA or confidentiality clause in the contract he had with the Smiths. Now take a look at this video that is hosted on Instagram where August Alsina is talking to Angela Yee.
In the interview, he says, “He claims, “I actually sat down with Will [Smith] and had a conversation due to the transformation from their marriage to life partnership … he gave me his blessing. I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life, and I truly and really, really deeply love and have a ton of love for her. I devoted myself to it, I gave my full self to it — so much so to the point that I can die right now and be okay with knowing that I truly gave myself to somebody. And I really loved a person, I experienced that and I know what that feels like — and some people never get that in this lifetime. I know that I am completely blessed and this conversation is difficult because it is so much, that it would be hard for people to understand but — once it starts to affect me and my livelihood — I have to speak up about my truth.”
AHHHHHHH…he wasn’t getting paid anymore?
Reports say Mr. Alsina, a 27-year old man, Jada, who is over 20-years his senior by Jaden! We all know how they were getting down! Here is some more background information for you…
It should be noted that a rep for the Smiths has denied all of this in every way.
But here’s my thing will and Jada have talked about being in an open relationship and still maintaining their partnership as business people and parents. So I am not quite sure why people have not seen this playing out in real-time through the years. They have been saying this for quite some time. I could be dead wrong but I just don’t think this is news other than someone talking about it.
This is how he shows love? “I love those people literally like my family. I don’t have a bad thing to say about them. They are beautiful people,” August said.
(AllHipHop Rumors) I think I knew this was gonna happen. Lil Nax X isn’t gay or is he just celebrating his gay-nniversary. A year ago today, he became Hip-Hop’s Gay Jackie Robinson. The young rapper that shook up the world just a year ago pranked people saying he was not gay. Then, says it was just a big prank – he is gay. I am not sure what to think right now. First of all, I do not know how you pretend to be gay for a whole year. And if you pretend to be gay, what did you do to fool people. Now that is just something I can’t answer right now but this is exactly what has happened. The 21-year-old rapper said all of this on Twitter. And he said everybody fell for it.
i have officially been gay for a year wow that was fun what should i do next!? https://t.co/CXrVJ6I85C
Now, Lil Nax X is one of the premier rappers of this day in terms of hit-making ability and a large part of the success was the disclosure that he was gay. It propelled him to new heights. I think it helped propel him to those two Grammy awards that he got. And a propelled him into some of the worst fashions I have ever seen in my entire life.
I think he knows he’s married to the mob now and he’s going to suffer somewhat if he lies. What do you think? I am not really sure, because I think we are always being trolled in some way or another, no? Marketing has levels and Lil Nas X is at the top of his game.
(AllHipHop News) Styles P comes from an era of hard-hitting rhymes and even harder tracks.
As one of the first chart-topping acts signed to Bad Boy, he automatically was blessed by Diddy’s legendary Hitmen (a collective of producers that included Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie Stevie J, Ron Lawrence, Mario Winans, Chucky Thompson, Nashiem Myrick, and more).
But then he also was a part of the Ruff Ryder family, where Swizz Beatz was the resident guru of hot s##t, crafting magic from drum machines, samples, and live instruments.
So, son knows a hot joint when he hears it.
This is why, as he creates his next project, he is linking with Tracklib to find a next hot producer‑ with that fire to set his new music apart from his classic catalog and the sounds on the radio.
The decision on who will be selected as one of his new producers is tomorrow, July 1st. The heartbeat of The Lox has been listening to the tracks for a week and will decide what joint he is gonna hop on.
Whether we are talking club bangers, vibe-out joints, or something for the ladies, the producers can bring whatever flavor to the table as long as they pull their sample from Tracklib.
“I want people to go to Tracklib. We got a contest. They got a bunch of samples. Flip the sample, whichever one’s the best one I’ma hop on,” Styles P explained to AllHipHop.com.
Styles explained why he chose to give new producers a chance as opposed to the legendary beat makers he has rocked with in the past.
“When it comes to music, I just like whatever beat works for me and whatever is good. I watched GZA do the contest, I like what he did with it, and got out of it,” Styles P told AllHipHop.com.
He continued, “So it was just something I felt was a pretty cool thing to do. And I wanted to be part of it. I like giving them the youth a shot. You know, I like working with the youth so especially those don’t get on. It gives them a chance to submit it and to whoever’s watching, whoever’s paying attention.”
The “Juice for Life” co-founder has also committed to rocking with multiple producers as long as their hustle is D-Block approved.
“I will take more than just the winner,” Styles revealed to AllHipHop.com. “If I like your sound, it’s going to be bigger than the winner with me. It may take a little long for me to get around to you, I work on a lot of projects, but it’s gonna be more than just the winner I will be getting at.”
(AllHipHop Rumors) Terry Crews was the guy that I came to love for his role as the cheap dad on “Everybody Hates Chris.” Terry Crews has gone full-blown idiot this guy got on Twitter and fixed his mouth to say the following.
If you are a child of God, you are my brother and sister. I have family of every race, creed and ideology.
I am not sure what happens when you get into the Illuminati of Hollywood but it must have something to do with going against the thoughts feelings and views of the masses. And right now Terry Crews is going against the grain in a way that has already gotten him canceled. But now he is doubling down on his rhetoric. In the past, this guy who is considered to be a thought leader by “some” has said that he has it bad because he dates a mixed-race woman. First of all, I have looked at several pictures of his wife and I have to tell you this woman looks about as black as Rachel Dolezal. I know that Blackness has a lot of hues and range so I’m not saying she’s not Black, but I am saying that she is so fair skin that she would ACE the brown bag test.
Nevertheless, nobody cares about his wife’s color at all. And quite frankly nobody really cared about Terry Crews until he started talking. We let him get by with letting a white man grab his nuts and then latching on to the #MeToo movement. Women did that! Not a whole lot of people said “Hey man why didn’t you just punch him in the face, because he grabbed your nuts and sexually assaulted you?” No, we let Terry Crews get away with some mess that is against everything that a real Black man is, and he didn’t lose his barbecue privileges at that time. Now, with this new comment about Black Lives Matter vs #BlackLivesBetter… Here is my hashtag #ThisManHasLostHisEverLovingMind.
I think he’s going the way of others like Elijah Washington, Kanye West, Candace Owens, and so many other black celebrities and activists that have joined with the Evil Empire. They are looking for favor when the revolution comes and don’t want to be on the wrong side of the war. But actually they are on the wrong side of history because this is a war in which the enemy a.k.a. the empire will lose.
By the way, Twitter is tearing into Terry crews like never before. He is getting shredded limb from bloody limb. What I find most interesting is that he knows this is going to happen when he says this nonsense. And he does not seem to care. He just keeps spewing pablum! I think that he just might be getting some money somewhere from somebody that pays him to Tweet in this wildly ignorant contrarian way. Look at some of the comments below and you tell me what you think.
This is unintellectual and irresponsible. You are developing into an enemy of the people. Ignorance will be your downfall.
Actually, what's wrong with a #BlackLivesBetter hashtag? Why not better Black safety, health, finance, education etc? Why not prioritize our healing- after 400 years of building this country through blood, sweat, and tears?
Terry, what's going on, man? I know you're better than this, and Twitter isn't the space for the conversation. Holler at me. Inbox me. I'm concerned, brother. Blacklivesmatter isn't supremacy: it's common righteous sense. It's respect. it's love.
The very idea that Black people need to convince, massage, persuade, sweet talk white people into actually co-existing with us on the same level of humanity is central to the problem. “We’ll treat you fairly, but only if you’re nice.” FOH
Brodie Fresh is here to put on for New York in the best possible light. Born in Queens but raised in Long Island, the East Coast spitter has been making music for a whole decade. June 15th marked the 10-year anniversary since he dropped his first record ever.
Regardless, Brodie is proof that the independent grind never stops. He states, “It takes 10 years to become an overnight success, right?” When it comes to performing, the “BiGGs” rapper knows how to shut down a stage. In 2013, he embarked on his first tour with King Los, then later again with Cory Gunz on his Reloaded Tour. Last year, he secured a slot opening for the Bay Area’s own Mozzy on his Internal Affairs Tour.
In light of the George Floyd incident and recent events, Brodie released his most powerful record yet, “WBAWP (Breathe),” with an incredible visual to match. All proceeds from the release will be donated to charity, specifically the George Floyd Memorial Fund.
AllHipHop caught up with Brodie Fresh at the Kandypens house to discuss his upbringing in New York, touring with Mozzy, pros and cons of being independent, his new video for “WBAWP,” and more!
AllHipHop: Born and bred in Queens, what was the household like growing up?
Brodie Fresh: It was cool. I was raised in Elmont, which is the first city in Long Island. It’s actually 10 minutes from Hollis, Queens, on the borderline. A lot of culture there. It’s dope, you get to see a lot of different people. A lot of different nationalities and upbringings, it’s a melting pot.
AllHipHop: Growing up, who were you into musically?
Brodie Fresh: When I was younger, I definitely rocked with Biggie, Mace, Diddy. That whole movement inspired me. Dipset, 100%. I was a fan of Ja Rule back in the day. Not gon’ front on my guy, old Ja Rule was that guy. LL Cool J for sure, old Run DMC. A lot of people from New York.
AllHipHop: You recorded your first record a decade ago. What was a 20-year-old Brodie Fresh like?
Brodie Fresh: I was trying to figure out life for real. I was going to college for a bit, left there and took on that mission of figuring out how to actually gain success with music and be heard. I left my parents, moved from New York, then moved North Carolina in 2010. I was couch to couch, slept in the car. Getting my first apartment. Going through all those challenges of life, figuring out how to be an artist and become a man at the same time.
AllHipHop: How’s that experience been?
Brodie Fresh: Whew, definitely been a journey. It’s a blessing. I got to learn a lot of things first-hand. I’ve bumped my head so many times with certain different things and now, I’m in a position where I could try to assist people forreal. Avoid them bumping their head. I wouldn’t change it.
AllHipHop: At what point did music become real for you?
Brodie Fresh: Probably my first tour in 2013. That summer, I went on tour with King Los.
AllHipHop: How’d that happen?
Brodie Fresh: He was signed to a management company called After Platinum, I’d reached out to the owner of the label on social media to get a feature with Cory Gunz. I’ll never forget at A3C Festival in Atlanta, there’s a girl who interviewed me. I ended up going with her to DTP studio. While we’re there, King Los pulled up. We’re all introducing ourselves, a guy said “wassup, my name’s Ernie.” I put 2 and 2 together, I said “oh, you’re Ernie from After Platinum?” He said “yeah, who are you?” I said “yo, it’s Brodie. I talked to you about the Cory Gunz thing.” He said “yo, that’s God. That’s crazy!” We’d talked on the phone. He’s from Arizona, I’m from New York. We ended up bumping into each other in Atlanta. He rocked with me. When it came time to do their tour, he gave me the opportunity to open up.
AllHipHop: How was that experience, being your first tour?
Brodie Fresh: They said “the first show is on May 26th.” I thought “yo, that’s my birthday!” It was a Thursday, the first show was on Sunday. I had no budget at all, zero budget. No idea how I’m going to actually go on tour. He said the first show’s in Dallas, Texas.” I’m like “daaaaamn,” so we jumped in the car. I had a little Honda Civic, we drove. Left that night, just dipped. Drove straight to Texas, we followed them on tour the whole time in the Honda. It’s crazy because our tour manager’s a guy named Andrew, he’s actually DaBaby’s tour manager.
We were dollar millionaires, ate McDonald’s everyday. Figuring out how we’re going to stay in a hotel, real crazy. Thinking back now, only a 24-year-old would go for some s##t like that. It was that challenging. I finished that tour, then I got the tour with Cory Gunz right after. Cory’s my guy, he’s in the video I just released. It’s a blessing, I got to go from one tour to another tour. Being a new artist, I was rapping for 3 years. People said “how’d he tour in 3 years? He just started.” Where I’m from, it’s not something you see too often.
AllHipHop: What does it mean to release “WBAWP” during a time like this?
Brodie Fresh: “We Black And We Proud,” and we need love too! Anybody who knows me knows the majority of my music has always been based around life and conscious records. Being an artist. you have to be able to release records for radio alsol. I’ve had decent success with records for radio but my core has always been more conscious. It’s more my element to talk about what’s been going on, from my opinion. I’m glad it’s been resonating, the feedback I’ve been getting has been great. That’s the most important thing.
AllHipHop: What was your decision to donate 100% of proceeds to the #BLM movement?
Brodie Fresh: That was an easy call. There’s no way I could take anything from that. There’s so much going on, I reached out to my guy Foreign Teck, Teck said he was with it. The artist Kayla Shea said she’s with it. I sent my engineer John Sparkz the record to mix. When he sent it back, he said “bro, this one’s on me. There’s no way I’m charging you for that.” It was a group effort, everybody was all for it.
AllHipHop: You also released your new single “BiGGs,” what inspired this one?
Brodie Fresh: Man, we were having fun for real. Foreign Teck’s pretty big, he did Bryson Tiller’s “Exchange” and Drake’s “Losses” on the album he just dropped. It’s a blessing to work with a producer like that. Me and Teck were in Miami, supposed to do one record and it turned into an entire EP. We turned it up and had fun.
AllHipHop: How was touring with Mozzy?
Brodie Fresh: Lit! That’s my biggest tour to date. I was the only East Coast artist on the entire tour, everybody else was from the West Coast. Being around different cultures, different sides of the world, watching people’s interactions with their fans, it was cool. A good learning experience, they took things very seriously. A lot of other tours I was on were organized, but they weren’t as big so certain things they didn’t care about. Mozzy, they cared about us being there for rehearsal.
AllHipHop: What are the pros and cons of the independent grind?
Brodie Fresh: Being able to have full control over what you want to do is definitely a pro. The cons is having to speak for yourself sometimes, with labels or managers. People don’t take you as serious when you’re representing yourself. Also the investments that go into it. People don’t see how much money it costs to actually do this. They think it’s “oh, they’re doing music!” An average song for me is $1000 or more. You’re talking about paying for production, the mix and master. Paying to record, paying to put it out and putting it out the correct way. Making sure it’s actually promoted. Especially nowadays with streaming, that could cost thousands of dollars to invest into. People don’t see that side. They see the music like “oh it’s nothing,” but it’s expensive. Very expensive. Going on tour cost me $15,000.
AllHipHop: Did you make that back?
Brodie Fresh: I actually almost did, I came close with merch. You have to apply yourself. Creating the merch, pressing out enough merch to go on the road with. Having people who could work the merch table while you’re up on stage, all of that goes into it.
AllHipHop: Talk about having your own clothing brand, on top of everything else.
Brodie Fresh: I started a small clothing brand back in high school. I was always really involved in fashion. I went to FIT for a little bit, took classes there. I always loved fashion, it’s a part of me. My name was Fresh before, Brodie’s my last name. Fresh because I was always into clothing.
AllHipHop: You’re a father, a son, a brother, artist, entrepreneur. Talk about balancing it all.
Brodie Fresh: It’s hard to balance. [laughs] Very hard to balance. My kids are 3 and 1, so it’s definitely not easy. You’re on the road and doing different things, you still want to try to instill certain things into them while you’re actually travelling and doing your thing. It’s a lot.
AllHipHop: What can we expect from your forthcoming EP? You have features with Tory, Fivio Foreign, Tsu Surf.
Brodie Fresh: It’s going to be interesting. I haven’t dropped a project since 2016. I took a lot of time with this project, making sure it’s presented the way I want it to be presented. I love the majority of my projects I put out, but it’ll be 1or 2 things I’m like “damn, I wish I woulda changed that.” This time around, I took the time to make sure it’s entirely something I’m happy with.
AllHipHop: Lil Wayne was saying on Young Money Radio that he always thinks of ways he could say some lines differently.
Brodie Fresh: It’s annoying! See, I don’t write. I go in and punch in like Wayne. When you do that, sometimes you get a really great song but because I freestyled this, this ONE line I know if I changed that one word, it’d sound way better. By then, I like how it flows. It’s in your head. A lot of times, other people don’t even realize. It’s just you.
AllHipHop: What are some goals for yourself at this point of your career?
Brodie Fresh: My ultimate goal is to be in a position to help people. I want to put other artists and producers in position. My team’s poppin’. We have people who do different things from engineering to graphic design to website design to clothing design to production, everything really. My goal’s to be able to help my people be in a position to win, and they can help their people. Really spread the message. I took the time. I’m not super crazy on people believing in me, I want them to believe in themselves. That’s important to me, inspiring people to believe in themselves in whatever they do whether it’s music or lawyers. This generation, a lot of the kids don’t even try or apply themselves to do anything because they don’t believe. Nobody’s telling them they can do this, everything’s a game nowadays.
(AllHipHop News) Artists from the Bad Boy era continue to shock people with the lives they choose to live, after leaving the famed label.
Once known for breaking hits, now it seems that the House that Diddy built is breaking down barriers once thought as corny in the rap world.
The Lox members Jadakiss and Styles P own several natural juice bars called “Juice for Life” in the Yonkers, the Bronx, and Brooklyn.
Babs Bunny is now the co-owner of a female battle rap league.
And rapper Shyne, who did a bid for blasting in a New York nightclub before being deported to his homeland of Belize, is now running for a political office.
Shyne is about to be a legislator.
The “Bad Boyz” rapper was nominated by the United Democratic Party to serve as a candidate for the Belize House of Representatives in the Belize City-based Mesopotamia constituency in the 2020 Belizean general election.
(AllHipHop News) The mother of Tamir Rice is tired of artists capitalizing off of her son’s death.
After six-year, she has taken action to make sure that proper respect is paid to his memory.
Samaria Rice’s son was shot tragically by the police in 2014, five days before Thanksgiving.
To add to the grieving mother’s pain, a grand jury refused to indict Timothy Loehmann, the man who shot her son, or Frank Garmback, his partner.
Though eventually, the family sued the city and settled for $6 million, it seems that several artists have included her son’s name, image, and likeness in songs without permission.
According to Cleveland.com, Samaria Rice believes that her son and his death are being exploited.
An example she offers is in Lena Waithe’s#### film, “Queen & Slim.”
Waithe appeared on a podcast called “The Read” in December of 2019 and shared that a character from the film, Junior, was based on Tamir.
It can be assumed that the act of memorial was not approved by the guardian of Tamir Rice’s legacy.
Rice shares, “I’m not normal because of what America has done to my family. I’m just dealing with it. I can’t even have my son in peace. That’s what it feels like.”
It is not just an emotional heartbreak, but like most estates, it’s about business also.
In 2016, two years after his police-involved killing, Samaria trademarked Tamir’s name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.
Waithe is a mild example, exacerbated by others.
Artists like Pusha T, Lecrae, and Quan have actually mentioned Tamir in his music and countless people have used his name in tribute videos along-side others.
Thursday, July 2nd would have been Tamir Rice’s 18th birthday. He would have been legally allowed to vote in this upcoming presidential election.
There aren’t many new artists that can tout a pedigree that denotes an internationally recognized musical royalty like The Wailers and introduces a unique sound that has lead to collaborations with the likes of multi platinum selling hip hop artists such as Fabolous and Rick Ross.
Under the tutelage of artist Tory Lanez, production by Smash David (Big Sean, Khalid), Foreign Tech (Chris Brown, Bryson Tiller, Post Malone) and Wallis Lane (Trey Songz, Mac Miller), and features from the likes of Rich The Kid and Junior Marvin, Miami-based singer/ rapper Davo is poised to shake up the music industry with his patented psychedelic R&B sound on his forthcoming debut album LXD.
The album’s intoxicating lead single “Say Something” is a tribute in theme and tone to the melancholy love song Goddess Sade. Over a muted bed of acoustic guitars, “Say Something” is a mesmerizing mid-tempo head nod cut that is as entrancing a love song as it is mystifying. Produced by Beatgodz (Queen Naija, Jeezy) the single showcases Davo’s melodic vocals and offers visuals by Tory Lanez as the director.
LXD is a beautifully vainglorious work of sonic art that strikes a delicate balance between introspection and bravado in a world where duality is pronounced fact of life on many levels.
Tory Lanez says, “Greatest music I have heard in a long time! Refreshing sound that I never knew an artist could attain. Unique in it’s own right, but still gives you that comfortable feeling of surreal music”
If there’s any doubt to the potential of LXD, Davo’s turn up anthem “Pull Up,” featuring Tory Lanez, has set fire to the internet to the tune of 1.2 million YouTube views. Laced with Smash David’s trippy trap beats and a crystalline melodic flow, the single is as much an ode to braggadocio as it is a testament to the respect Davo and Lanez have for each other as artists.
Other songs on the album include “By The Valley,” a quasi cautionary tale of the many ways in which Hollywood can perform a sleight of hand for many hopefuls in search of fortune and fame. The lively “Señorita” featuring Junior Marvin on guitars feels as if it has torn a page from a forbidden love television drama script. “Searching” finds Davo in a more pensive mode discussing the meaning of life, one of several songs of its kind that make LXD a balanced affair.
After years of putting in ample time to hone his craft, success is imminent for Davo. As a multi-instrumentalist and a talented lyricist and singer, the ingredients for his ascension in the music industry are as evident as the horizon on a clear day. And if the industry is smart, it will tap into his creative instincts and musical impulses.
As an ode to the music he heard his parents playing around the house, Davo has already started crafting songs for a subsequent album. The world will soon bear witness to its magnitude and potential to push the envelope for popular music. “I’m a rock star,” he says with a knowing smile.
(AllHipHop News) Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s former bodyguard is considering taking the stars to court for allegedly attempting to bully him into silence.
Steve Stanulis hit headlines in May after he appeared on the Hollywood Raw Podcast and branded Kanye the “neediest, moodiest client” he’d ever had, while also spilling all about the “ridiculous” rules the rapper reportedly has his employees follow, such as insisting the bodyguard walked 10 paces behind him on city streets.
Representatives for Kanye and his wife Kim fired off a cease-and-desist notice after the revealing chat, accusing him of violating their 2016 confidentiality agreement and making “false and defamatory” statements about the couple, while warning he could face a $10 million lawsuit if he breached the terms again.
However, Stanulis’ lawyer, Dmitriy Shakhnevich, claims the security guard-turned-actor and director never signed a confidentiality contract, and he is ready to file his own legal action if the superstars continue to try and shut him up.
“Our client is being bullied here, and we will not stand for that,” Shakhnevich told the New York Post’s Page Six.
(AllHipHop News) Virgil Abloh’s cover for Pop Smoke’s debut album is to be changed, after fans slammed the “lazy” artwork online.
The 39-year-old artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection unveiled the cover, a grayscale picture of Pop Smoke surrounded by diamond roses and barbed wire, on his Instagram page on Monday, in a post which has since been deleted.
Captioning the snap, he wrote: “the last conversation i had with @realpopsmoke was about what we were gonna do in the future. this album cover was one of like 5 things we talked about. He mentioned his story felt like the metaphor of a rose & thorns growing from the concrete of his hood in Canarsie, Brooklyn.
“In your memory, I just finished it yesterday. As evidence of the whole idea, the t-shirt insinuates it’s mandatory we put an and to this cycle of violence that plagues us, we need to shoot for the moon & aim for the stars.”
However, many fans of the 20-year-old rapper, who was shot and killed in February, were quick to criticize Virgil for the image, with one remarking that the image used is the same as the first picture that comes up when “Pop Smoke” is image searched on Google.
“This is lazy. Pop Smoke deserves better,” another wrote.
Minutes later, a petition was created on Change.org to get the artwork changed, with the description reading: “Virgil deada## was wild lazy with Pop Smokes Album cover and he needs to fix it.”
And heeding the backlash, Steven Victor, the head of the Victor Victor Worldwide label that signed Smoke, tweeted that the album cover would be changed and will be ready for the 3 July release of Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon.
“HEARD YOU,” he tweeted. “MAKING A CHANGE. POP WOULD LISTEN TO HIS FANS!”
(AllHipHop News) For the first time ever, the 2020 BET Awards aired on BET, BET Her, and CBS. The move to present the event on both cable and broadcast television channels seemed to help the ceremony maintain its viewership from last year.
According to reports, the show drew 3.7 million total viewers. 1.6 million of those people watched the event on BET while 1.9 million tuned in on CBS. The 2019 edition amassed 3.8 million viewers across a multi-network simulcast.
In its 20th year, the BET Awards became the #1 cable awards show among the P18-49 demographic for the sixth consecutive calendar year. Additionally, the network’s flagship celebration of music, sports, and acting generated 31 million views across BET Digital and 30 million views on BET Social.
.@BET turns 40 this year and we are also celebrating the 20th anniversary of #BETAwards! This Sunday, we are going to DO IT BIG cause it’s a celebration!! pic.twitter.com/yQhry28Guc
“For 20 years, the BET Awards has stood as the ultimate celebration of Black Culture on television. With all that is happening in 2020, it was crucial now more-than-ever to deliver an unforgettable show filled with powerful artistry, ingenious innovation, and compelling social commentary,” said Scott Mills, President of BET.
Mills adds, “We are incredibly grateful to the amazing artists, and our extraordinary Executive Producers, Connie Orlando and Jesse Collins, who partnered to create a celebration, unlike any other, that so powerfully reflects the heart, mind, and soul of Black Culture and Black America at this critical moment in history.”
Insecure actress and stand-up comedian Amanda Seales hosted this year’s BET Awards. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show was presented as a series of skits, artist-generated performances, and pre-recorded packages that were heavily influenced by the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
Roddy Ricch, Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, and Chris Brown were among the night’s big winners. Public Enemy, Nas, Black Thought, Rapsody, YG, Lil Wayne, DaBaby, Roddy Ricch, Summer Walker, Usher, Megan Thee Stallion, D Smoke, SiR, John Legend, Anderson .Paak, Jay Rock, Alicia Keys, Chloe x Halle, and more acts performed during the three-hour program.
(AllHipHop News) There is a new member of the 400-week club for the Billboard 200. Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City currently sits at #100 on the chart after first arriving in 2012.
Eight years later, the masterpiece managed to stay on Billboard’s albumrankings for 400 weeks. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City joins Eminem’s Curtain Call: The Hits (494 weeks) as the only Hip Hop albums to ever reach that milestone. GKMC is the first and only studio LP by a rapper to stay on the chart that long.
Lamar also stamped his name on an exclusive list of just 16 acts to have a project remain on the Billboard 200 for at least 400 weeks. Iconic soloists and groups such as Pink Floyd, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Journey, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, The Beatles, and Michael Jackson have also managed to pull off the feat.
As far as performers to break out in the 21st century, the Compton native’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City only trails Bruno Mars’s Doo-Wops & Hooligans (476 weeks) and Adele’s 21 (471 weeks). Eminem’s The Eminem Show (383 weeks) and Drake’s Take Care (382 weeks) are on pace to be the next Hip Hop studio albums to hit 400 weeks.
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City actually debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and never hit the top spot of the tally. However, the TDE/Aftermath/Interscope release has been certified 3x-Platinum by the RIAA. Plus, GKMC earned Kendrick Lamar five Grammy nominations including Album of The Year, Best Rap Album, and Best New Artist.
(AllHipHop News) Percy “Master P” Miller laid out a blueprint for southern rappers to become entertainment moguls. The New Orleans native, who was raised in the Calliope Projects, built an estimated net worth of $200 million through the success of the No Limit brand.
BET is now set to explore the rise of the record label with a new five-part docuseries titled No Limit Chronicles. Master P, Romeo Miller, Snoop Dogg, Silkk The Shocker, Mia X, Mystikal, Fiend, and Mr. Serv-On provided commentary for the program.
During its commerical and cultural height in the late 1990s, No Limit Records put out Master P’s multi-platinum albums Ghetto D (1997) and MP da Last Don (1998). Both LPs reached #1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
In 1998, the company released over 20 projects including Snoop Dogg’s Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told, Silkk the Shocker’s Charge It 2 da Game, and Mystikal’s Ghetto Fabulous. The following year saw more than a dozen No Limit releases hit stores.
No Limit Chronicles is scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, July 29, at 9 pm ET/PT on BET. Master P and Romeo Miller for No Limit are credited as executive producers along with Tara Long for eOne as well as Mark Ford and Kevin Lopez for Creature Films.
(AllHipHop News) Akademiks knew when he decided to slam Freddie Gibbs on his digital show that the Indiana-raised emcee would fire back. That is exactly what happened overnight as the drama played out on social media.
During yesterday’s episode of Everyday Struggle, Akademiks argued that Gibbs was not as relevant as his longtime rival Jeezy. The Instagram blogger pointed to Gibbs and The Alchemist’s 2020 project, Alfredo, only moving 30,000 first-week units as the basis for his opinion despite the album receiving widespread critical praise.
Ak’s statement was in reaction to Gibbs telling Bootleg Kev that Jeezy is now musically insignificant at the moment. He said, “Let’s be real. Did you listen to his last album? No, you f*cking didn’t… I love bro. He’s a legend. But right now, you’re irrelevant.”
Gibbs took to Twitter and Instagram to fire back at Akademiks. The former artist under Young Jeezy’s CTE World label began by tweeting about women supposedly not wanting to be associated with the internet personality.
“I’ll give a bad b*tch 5k if they admit to sleeping with @Akademiks,” tweeted Gibbs. @Akademiks I keep getting dm’s from b*tches that wanna kick u in the nuts for some reason.”
Ak chose to respond by claiming he makes more money than Gibbs. He posted, “Bring all ur statements of how much you made as a rapper.. and I’ll bring up tax statements of what I made as a BLOGGER. and lets compare. U can’t compare to Jeezy…he been lit for mad years. U a lil n*gga. and i Doubt u compare 2 me. But… Drop ur sh*t… I’m down. Mr Gibbs.”
Ak continued to suggest he was richer and more relevant than the 38-year-old recording artist. Eventually, Gibbs started joking that Akademiks and rapper/convicted felon Tekashi 6ix9ine are having a sexual relationship.
“I want proof that u didn’t have oral sex with Tekashi,” Gibbs replied. He later tweeted to Akademiks, “Words from a man that sucks penis… And Imma squeeze yo t###### on camera… B*tch u built like a teletubby… U suck d*ck from the byke.”
Based on the court of public opinion, Freddie Gibbs clearly won the back-and-forth with Akademiks. Despite having 880,000 fewer followers than Ak, Gibbs’s diss tweets garnered tens of thousands of likes with the “oral sex with Tekashi” tweet collecting over 78,000 likes. Akademiks’s top tweet only managed to get around 2,500 likes even though he has 1.2 million followers on the platform.
I’ll give a bad b#### 5k if they admit to sleeping with @Akademiks
(AllHipHop News) Two of rap’s younger representatives are experiencing a high level of commerical success at the moment. Billboard released its latest Hot 100 chart, and two new songs have climbed into the Top 10.
Jack Harlow’s “Whats Poppin” jumped from #18 to #8. Lil Mosey’s “Blueberry Faygo” ascended from #11 to #9. This is the first time both artists have made it into the Top 10 region of the Hot 100.
Lathan Moses Stanley Echols is just 18 years old. The 2019 XXL Freshman Class member released the Certified Hitmaker album in 2019. 22-year-old Jackman Thomas Harlow let loose the Sweet Action EP in March. He recently dropped the “Whats Poppin” remix featuring DaBaby, Tory Lanez, and Lil Wayne.
After making his initial Top 10 earlier this month, SAINt JHN’s “Roses” hit the Hot 100’s Top 5 at #4. Justin Bieber’s “Intention” featuring Quavo (#5), Doja Cat’s “Say So” (#6), Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture” (#7), and Post Malone’s “Circles” (#10) are also among the 10 most popular singles in America.
(AllHipHop News) Kanye West posted a sweet congratulations message to wife Kim Kardashian on Twitter, after the reality star was officially welcomed into the billionaires club.
Kim reached her new status after selling a 20% stake in her KKW Beauty company to Coty in a deal worth $200 million. Once the deal is finalized, Kim’s company will be worth $1 billion.
And following the news, Kanye took to his Twitter page to share a sweet note to his other half to mark the achievement.
“I am so proud of my beautiful wife Kim Kardashian West for officially becoming a billionaire,” he wrote. “You’ve weathered the craziest storms and now God is shining on you and our family.”
He also included what appeared to be a two-line poem he’d penned for his wife, which read: “So blessed this is still life/So I made you this still life.”
Kanye concluded his message by writing: “We love you so much”.
Bizarrely, the rapper included a picture of a selection of fresh produce, including a bell pepper and two flowers, which led to the otherwise sweet sentiment being mercilessly mocked on social media.
It was reported earlier this year that Kanye was also a billionaire, but the 43-year-old disputed Forbes’ calculation of his net worth.
(AllHipHop News) A week ago, Tekashi 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj found out their song “Trollz” debuted at #1 on the Hot 100. A week later, the controversial duo experienced a historic fall on the chart.
“Trollz” dropped from the top spot to #34 which is the largest decline in the history of the Hot 100 for a song that debuted at #1. Nicki and 6ix9ine relied heavily on single/merchandise bundles in the record’s first week of release, but the high sales did not continue in its second week (down 92%).
6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj’s "TROLLZ" posts the biggest fall for a #1 debut in Hot 100 history.
Tekashi used earning his first #1 song as a way to slam other rappers like Meek Mill, Future, and Gucci Mane for not having a Hot 100 chart-topper. That Instagram post has since been deleted from 6ix9ine’s account.
Minaj’s recent singles also suffered significant plunges on the Hot 100. 2019’s “Megatron” plummeted from #20 to #92. Earlier this year, “Yikes” tumbled from #23 to #81. Nicki did score her first #1 for one week in May when she jumped on the remix to Doja Cat’s “Say So.”
Meanwhile, Minaj seems to be ready to move on to a new project. The New York native teased that she was working on a sequel to her 3x-Platinum debut studio album Pink Friday by tweeting, “PF2.”
