(AllHipHop Rumors) Rapper Lil Yachty is lucky to be alive. The rapper was involved in a terrible car accident in Atlanta. Well, Monday, June 22 his Ferrari hit a slick spot on and Atlanta freeway and it caused it to hydroplane. The 22-year-old only managed to suffer minor injuries from the accident but he could have easily died. According to TMZ, a response team hit the scene to save The rapper from near death. While The Rapper was not killed in the accident, he could’ve been. The Ferrari that he was driving actually was killed because it looked like it was completely totaled by pictures The Rapper posted on his Instagram. Let’s just say: I am glad that Lil Yachty is still with us and not dead.
In response to the incident, Wallace released a statement calling it “despicable” and “reprehensible.”
“Today’s despicable act of racism and hatred leaves me incredibly saddened and serves as a painful reminder of how much further we have to go as a society and how persistent we must be in the fight against racism,” Wallace said. “Nothing is more important and we will not be deterred by the reprehensible actions of those who seek to spread hate.”
NASCAR made sure that Wallace’s car was checked just in case someone tampered with it.
On Monday, before the game … with all of the drama going on around race and his presence … the star might have felt defeated.
With the noose fresh in mind, people rented planes and flew the confederate flag over the race. Fans tailgated outside with the flag drape in adornment.
But his colleagues refused to let that get to their guy.
Bubba Wallace was emotional as fellow NASCAR drivers and crew members helped push his car.
The drivers and their respective crews gathered around Wallace’s No. 43 car and pushed the vehicle all the way down to the starting line. The masses showed love by greeting him with hugs and high-fives so that he knows that he is not alone.
So overwhelmed, he was seen crying. Though he is the only Black on his level in NASCAR, he is not alone.
(AllHipHop News) Eminem has recruited his longtime friend and rap collaborator Royce Da 5’9 to lead the social justice department of his charity foundation.
The “Stan” hitmaker has long been providing aid and support to disadvantaged and at-risk youth in and around his native Detroit, Michigan through the Marshall Mathers Foundation, and now he is adding to the mission statement, seeking to help effect change in the fight to end social injustice.
To lead that project, he has appointed Royce as Director of Community Engagement and Social Justice Initiatives.
In a joint statement, the duo shares, “It’s a question everyone should be asking themselves right now. How can I do more?
“We both recognize that by working together to expand the Marshall Mathers Foundation’s mission, we CAN do more. And we can do it quickly, effectively, and with real impact.”
“I’m super excited about not just donating money but launching new initiatives,” Royce writes online in response to the announcement. “My goals are simple. Provide privilege for the underprivileged and I’m honored to team up with Eminem to do so.”
(AllHipHop News) Producer Swizz Beatz has publicly apologized for blasting Drake as a “little guy” over the leak of an old song the Canadian had recorded with fellow rapper Busta Rhymes.
The collaboration in question, titled “Stay Down,” surfaced online last week and dates back to around 2013, when the two MCs were briefly label mates at Cash Money Records.
Beatz was apparently also involved in the making of the tune, which features an old beat by the late J. Dilla, who died in 2006, and he expressed his frustration at the track’s leak in a weekend Instagram Live chat for his close pal Busta’s Zone Radio show.
During the discussion, Beatz indicated Drake had held up the original release of the song years ago, despite the producer’s best efforts, and he suspected members of the “Toosie Slide” hitmaker’s team were behind the unauthorized release now.
Beatz went on to suggest he had reached his wit’s end regarding the situation, adding his “filter (was) burnt”, before taking aim at Drake: “Because at the end of the day, n##gas is p##sy for real” he remarked.
Busta attempted to calm Beatz down by insisting the collaboration was more about Drake wanting to work on a Dilla beat, but Alicia Keys’ husband continued to vent his anger, and made reference to the rap superstar’s private plane, named Air Drake: “It’s cool. That’s a little kid… That’s a little guy…,” he ranted. “It’s no personal things… If it was personal we’d shoot your plane out the sky.”
Hours later, Beatz began to regret his candid comments and shared a video apology on his social media pages on Sunday, admitting he had been a little tipsy during the interview.
“I was in the wrong space, I was in the wrong energy…,” he told fans. “I definitely spoke on some things that I definitely shouldn’t have spoke on.
“Although I might feel a certain way about a certain person, and different things like that, as a G (gangster), I’m man enough to say that I did that on the wrong platform and I wasn’t supposed to do that like that, because I wouldn’t respect somebody else if they did that like that.”
Drake has yet to comment on the drama, but his affiliate Nessel ‘Chubbs’ Beezer took to his Instagram Stories timeline to rebuff Beatz’s statement.
“We Don’t Need No Apology,” he wrote. “Its Clear You Don’t Like Us So Act That Same Way When You See Us. P##sy..”
(AllHipHop News) Clark Atlanta University, one of the top schools in the Atlanta University Center, is known for training some of the music industry’s most talented stars.
Chaka Zulu from DTP and Spotify graduated from there.
Chaka Pilgrim from Roc Nation counts herself as an alum. Half of the DJ crew, The Superfriends, DJ Trauma, and DJ Mars are from the Class of 95 and producer Bryan-Michael Cox (hitmaker for Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and so many more) rocks that red and black like a fraternity.
While Lil Jon didn’t go to Clark, before he became a star, he used to hang out there.
Even Mase went to Clark after his Bad Boy days. The school is Hip-Hop friendly.
So, it should come as no surprise that T.I. was pegged to teach with Dr. Melva Williams ethnomusicological nature of Trap music.
Recently announced, the university is partnering with T.I. to create “an amazing experience” for their undergraduate program for the upcoming Fall semester.
T.I. shared, “HBCUs have a vital role in our community and have managed to withstand even while being some of the most under-resourced institutions.
“Our national HBCUs continue to underscore the fact that we have always had to do more with less.” He continues, “I am excited to be partnering with Clark Atlanta University in my hometown – Atlanta.”
The Father of Trap will create and teach programming with Dr. Melva K. Williams around the class subject, “Business of Trap Music.”
“I applaud their innovative approach to ensuring their students are educated beyond the traditional textbook curriculum. I am honored to lend my voice and unique experiences to the betterment of today’s young people and to do my part to lift the legacy of historically Black colleges and universities across the nation.” T.I. said.
T.I. is slated to start teaching at Clark Atlanta University in the Fall.
(AllHipHop News) Walmart should not expect to see Dominique Jones purchasing items from any of its locations any time soon. The Atlanta rapper, better known as Lil Baby, let his feelings about the retail giant be known on Twitter.
On Monday night, Lil Baby tweeted, “Walmart got me [f*cked] up.” Without further context in the tweet, some of “The Bigger Picture” hitmaker’s followers were confused about why he blasted the corporation.
It did not take long before other Twitter users began replying to Baby’s tweet with apparent screenshots from the Walmart.com website. The photos seemed to show that fake replicas of Lil Baby’s 4PF pendants are available for sale via the online store.
4PF is the name of Lil Baby’s crew and record company. East Side Detroit’s 42 Dugg signed a joint agreement with 4 Pockets Full and Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group.
Dugg’s Young & Turnt, Vol. 2 album was a 4PF/CMG release. Lil Baby and 42 Dugg have teamed up for songs like “Grace” and “We Paid.” Yo Gotti also joined them on the Young & Turnt, Vol. 2 track “Not A Rapper.”
(AllHipHop News) Filmmaker Boots Riley captured the attention of many cinephiles when he presented his 2018 feature film directorial debut Sorry to Bother You. The mind-bending dark comedy caused a lot of conversation and took home an Independent Spirit Award.
Riley has now announced he is working on a new visual project. The Bronx-raised actor Jharrel Jerome is apparently attached to the forthcoming television series titled I’m A Virgo.
“I have a show about a 13-ft tall Black man who lives in Oakland. It’s called I’m A Virgo. Jharrel Jerome is playing the lead. I’m doing this [with] Michael Ellenberg’s Media Res. We haven’t decided on the network/streamer. It’ll be dark, absurd, hilarious, and important,” tweeted Riley.
I have a show about a 13-ft tall Black man who lives in Oakland.
It’s called I’m A Virgo.
Jharrel Jerome is playing the lead.
I’m doing this w Michael Ellenberg’s Media Res. We haven’t decided on the network/streamer.
Jerome’s first major acting role came in Barry Jenkins’s Oscar-winning motion picture Moonlight. The 22-year-old went on to win an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries When They See Us.
Michael Ellenberg launched the TV and film production company Media Res in 2017. While working as an executive at HBO, Ellenberg helped developed series such as Westworld, The Leftovers, Big Little Lies, True Detective, and The Deuce. Media Res currently produces the Apple TV+ program The Morning Show whichstars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
Besides being a director and screenwriter, Boots Riley is also a seasoned Hip Hop artist. He is a member of the Bay Area group known as The Coup. In 2012, the band released the studio LP Sorry to Bother You. Plus, The Coup spearheaded Sorry to Bother You: The Soundtrack.
(AllHipHop News) Prior to Monday night, most of the conversation about an Atlanta rapper and a luxury sports car centered around Lil Baby reportedly working on the Lamborghini Boys mixtape. Unfortunately, Baby’s Quality Control Music comrade was involved in a serious car accident.
According to TMZ, Lil Yachty wrecked his Ferrari on Georgia State Route 400 yesterday (June 22). The vehicle reportedly hydroplaned on the wet road before the car was totaled from slamming into a barrier.
Yachty has yet to officially comment on the accident, but the Lil Boat 3 creator did post a tweet at 1:45 am ET that seemed to address the crash. He wrote on Twitter, “So thankful for my life. Never take it for granted.”
Apparently, the rapper born Miles Parks McCollum only suffered minor injuries to his arm. Emergency crews arrived at the scene, but it has not been confirmed if Lil Yachty needed to go to a hospital following the collision.
So thankful for my life. Never take it for granted.
(AllHipHop News) A leaked verse may have started a new conflict between Sean “Diddy” Combs and Marshall “Eminem” Mathers. The two Hip Hop icons find themselves in the middle of an unexpected feud.
The bad blood ignited when an alternate version of Conway The Machine’s “Bang” made it’s way to the internet. On the song, Eminem takes shots at Diddy’s Revolt network and former Slaughterhouse member Joe Budden.
“Shout to Puffy Combs, but f*ck Revolt,” rapped Em. “Y’all are like a f*cked up remote. Now I get it why our button’s broke. Cause you pressing him but do nothing though, especially when it comes to punches throne.”
On Monday evening, the media company’s Twitter account fired back at the Detroit emcee. Revolt tweeted, “F*ck you too @Eminem.” The cable channel doubled down by posting the same message on Instagram with a caption that read, “Now back to our movement. ✊ .”
(AllHipHop News) Lil Baby may have created one of this generation’s most memorable #BlackLivesMatter protest anthems. “The Bigger Picture” could go down as a signature song of the era along with Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.”
Not only has Baby’s “The Bigger Picture” garnered critical praise, but the record is also a commerical success. The tune debuted at #3 on the Hot 100, giving the Quality Control rapper the highest-charting song of his career.
Lil Baby now has three Top Ten records. “Yes Indeed” with Drake peaked at #6 in 2018, and “Drip Too Hard” with Gunna peaked at #4 that same year.
Additionally, “The Bigger Picture” landed at #2 on the Streaming Songs chart and #10 on the Digital Song Sales chart. Lil Baby also has the #1 album in the country right now. My Turn has topped the Billboard 200 chart for three nonconsecutive weeks.
6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj’s “Trollz” launched at #1 on the most recent Hot 100. DaBaby and Roddy Ricch’s “Rockstar” fell one position to #2. Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage (Remix)” featuring Beyoncé and The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” round out the Top 5.
(AllHipHop News) The current #1 song in America belongs to Tekashi 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj. This week, the pair’s “Trollz” single opened in the top spot on the Hot 100 chart.
“Trollz” (116,000 units) amassed the highest weekly sales total since Taylor Swift’s “Me!” featuring Brendon Urie (193,000 units) in 2019. Tekashi and Nicki sold multiple versions of the song and offered several merchandise/digital download bundles.
Nicki Minaj became just the second female rapper to debut at #1 on the Hot 100. She follows Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in 1998. She is the second female rapper to have more than one #1 single after Cardi B (3).
In addition, Minaj added another entry to her record-setting 110 Hot 100 entries. The Queens-raised entertainer has the most career songs on the tally for a female act. She is now fourth on the all-time list behind Drake (222), the Glee cast (207), and Lil Wayne (168).
(AllHipHop News) Last week footage came out of Christian rapper Lecrae and Pastor Louie Giglio having a conversation about race relations.
The video went viral when he said that “white privilege” should be changed to “white blessings.”
While doing a show on how to find common ground, Giglio just rambled (authoritatively) about what he believed was an alternative way to look at race in America.
Now this week, more footage has emerged on the same pastor’s show.
This clip shows Lecrae and the CEO of Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy, engaged in conversation about race. In an effort to show humility, Cathy busted out a tool kit for shoe shining.
Cathy started to tell the story about a man from Texas who shined the shoes of an older Black man in his church. This person did the act because he was so overcome with white guilt that he had to demonstratively do something to express his desire repentance and equity.
“Tears began to flow in that service,” Cathy shared. “It was an attitude of conviction.”
“So, I invite folks to put some words to action, here. If we need to find somebody that needs their shoes shined, we need to go right on over and shine their shoes.”
As he said this, he started to walk over to Lecrae. When he reached the lyricist, he dropped to his knees and started shining his shoes.
“There’s a time where we need some personal action,” he continued.
“We talked immediately afterward and I let them know my thoughts. It was so many things that happened in that whole conversation that was like, yo, that needed to be addressed. Dude tried to shine my shoes and I was like, ‘Yo, bro, we want Chick-fil-a stock. We don’t want shoe shines.’ You know what I mean?”
“My biggest thing that I was trying to communicate to them was, we can’t be doing this virtue signaling stuff, just having conversations about race. We really got to be about this. I just came from this protest last night. People were burning stuff up and screaming at the police. This is a real thing.”
Lecrae also took to his social media to address the video and his position with the pastor.
(AllHipHop Rumors) The name Kris Kross has been not rung bells in quite some time, but that does not take away from the young talents that paved the way for many artists that thrive today. These guys, Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly and Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith, were “da bomb” back in the day. Sadly, Christopher Kelly died in 2013. God bless his soul.
The brother Chris Smith is getting a lot of positive energy for his artistic talents. He has posted paintings of both George Floyd as well as Breonna Taylor, who have been murdered by cops this year. I wasn’t even aware that my dude was poppin’ but he is and he is garnering attention for all the right reasons. Check out the paintings.
From George Floyd to Emmett Till to the many names before them we’ll never know, our countries systemic racism has stolen hopes, dreams, aspirations and lives of African Americans. Today it seems like we’ve reached a paradigm shift and it’s because of the engagement, awareness and determination of all races. We can’t be complacent the way we become accustomed to in society, accepting it as normal. Hopefully, this is a turning point and we will begin to make drastic changes so that generations to follow will have a brighter future.
He didn’t stop there. He also did a painting in honor of his friend and rap partner, Chris.
Now, I need for you to see how impactful these guys were. First of all, they sold mulit-plat on both albums, Totally Krossed-Out (1992) and Da Bomb (1993). They set off the careers of Da Brat, dissed other kid rap acts, had a little beef with Naughty By Nature and Nipsey Hussle sampled their first hit. And those are the cliffs.
If your dream is to make it on-air as a radio personality or DJ, learn from Ferrari Simmons. The Florida native went from producer to Music Director at Atlanta’s top hip-hop radio station, Streetz 94.5 — while hosting his show on Baller Alert (covering trending topics), while deejaying at all the hottest clubs and functions, while being a husband and father to 4 beautiful children, while putting out his own singles, while being an entrepreneur, while starting his own reading program and remaining active in his community.
When it comes to the music industry, work ethic, relationships, knowledge, passion, and experience is everything, and Ferrari captures each one to the fullest. By creating a strong presence for himself in the community early on, the ladies couldn’t help but exclaim “hey Ferrari” when they saw him.
Fast forward to 2020, Ferrari is proud to have discovered rap’s current superstars super early on in the game, from Lil Baby to Megan The Stallion to DaBaby.
Having an ear for good music and a pulse to the streets, he just hopes to leave a long-lasting impact on the world through his genuine personality and loving heart. Most recently, he releases his new single “All Booties Matter” featuring Lil Donald and 1501 Entertainment’s Erica Banks.
AllHipHop caught up with Ferrari who was literally on air at the station, to discuss how he got his start, love for music, fatherhood, discovering Lil Baby, Meg, and DaBaby years before they popped, and more!
AllHipHop: Where are you located?
Ferrari Simmons: I’m in Atlanta, Georgia. The A is lit. It’s actually super lit right now with the protesting going on downtown, I’m right in the middle of it.
AllHipHop: Being from Florida, what was the household like growing up?
Ferrari Simmons: Florida was fun. I grew up in South Florida so we never really had cold weather ever. I never experienced snow on Christmas growing up in Florida. It was cool, a lot of sports in my household. Parents were working all the time so I took to sports and music. I always deejayed in high school, I hosted the pep rallies for school. I was one of the kids in school always on the microphone getting everyone to calm down, leading the pep rallies, deejaying high school parties. Same thing in college, I was always active.
AllHipHop: Did you fall in love with deejaying in high school?
Ferrari Simmons: As weird as it sounds, yeah. I stopped because I was trying to be a rapper. I ran track too, so I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I got a scholarship and went to USF in Tampa. That’s the only reason I went to college to be honest. I tried to start rapping a little bit, my songs were pretty good. The only reason I could get it played on the campus radio station was because I did my own radio show. Everyone listened to my radio show, even the president of the school. It was pretty dope, that’s when I thought I was really good at radio. I started taking that serious my senior year in school.
AllHipHop: Was there someone you aspired to be when you were coming up, like “ooh, I want to be like them”?
Ferrari Simmons: Yeah actually, DJ Khaled. He was on the radio when I was younger. I’d come to Atlanta every summer, my sister at the time lived in Suwanee. When I’d come spend time with her, I’d listen to Greg Street, Frank Ski, Ryan Cameron. I saw people who looked exactly like me on the radio. They weren’t rapping, they weren’t being an athlete. They’re talking on the radio, I thought “man this is a super cool job, I want to do that.” I tried to do it in Tampa, it’s a little rough because I didn’t have any opportunities available for me. I moved to Atlanta after I graduated.
AllHipHop: Talk about taking over as Music Director for Streetz 94.5 Atlanta’s New Hip Hop Station.
Ferrari Simmons: I kind of was the Music Director before they gave me the job. I started picking the songs anyway, and I was right. I remember I had this big argument with my boss, the PD, about the Rich the Kid’s “Plug Walk.” First time he heard it, he hated it. I said “that’s about to be a #1 song, it’s about to do numbers.” He said “yeah right.” We had a little wager and I was right. After that, he started asking me for real. When my contract was up, he asked “you want to be Music Director?” I said “sure.”
AllHipHop: So you have your own show?
Ferrari Simmons: Yeah, did the night show with me and Fly Guy DC. 6pm to 10pm here in Atlanta, Monday through Friday. Towards the end of my first contract 2018 going into 2019, he offered me the Music Director job and I took it.
AllHipHop: Talk about balancing your career and being a father to 4 kids.
Ferrari Simmons: It’s a lot because my wife needs attention, too. We came up with a dope concept: I decided to take off Sundays. Sunday: phone off, phone on silent. You can’t even reach me, all dedicated to her and my family. I lay low, I’m relaxing. For the most part, I do a lot with them during the week too. With school being out, I was able to just spend time with them all day. I leave to go to work, then come right home. The clubs are starting to open back up, but I’m still not going into the clubs yet. I’ma wait a little bit. I’m spending a whole bunch of time with my kids.
AllHipHop: Are you deejaying at the clubs or are going to have fun?
Ferrari Simmons: Nooo, I go to deejay. That’s the last place I want to go to have fun. I want to go travel. Since the Coronavirus, I haven’t been doing anything.
AllHipHop: What role did you play in getting the careers of Megan Thee Stallion, DaBaby, Lil Baby on?
Ferrari Simmons: I have a knack for picking out artists and records early, interviewing them. I remember we interviewed DaBaby in 2017, Megan Thee Stallion in 2017, Lil Baby in 2017. Way before they popped. That’s around the time we first got our show, me and Fly Guy DC were getting in trouble for interviewing no name artists. You know radio: if your PD doesn’t know who they are or they’re not big, they over here like “why ya’ll keep interviewing these people?” That’s why you can go right on my Instagram, scroll down a little bit, Lil Baby stops the interview and says “I want to thank ya’ll for jumping on me early, before everybody.” Same thing with DaBaby, I remember I had to sneak him to do an interview with him.
AllHipHop: Was that when Walker Texas Ranger was out, or before that?
Ferrari Simmons: Before that. I actually had him do The Dungeon in here, where he comes and freestyles. 2017, you could tell he doesn’t even look how he looks now. He went by Baby Jesus at the time. We have a knack for hearing who’s new. We’re not 100% right but the times we’re right, we’re right. Same thing with Megan. She didn’t go by Megan Thee Stallion, she went by Tina Snow. I was introduced to her with 1501, Carl. We had a meeting with him with his new artist Ericka Banks coming up. We had a knack for creating that energy with new artists. It was our time and we rose with them. People already know when it’s a new record, who’s hot, I get a phone call. Fly Guy DC gets a phone call.
AllHipHop: I feel like the percentage is low for artists who actually do end up poppin’ off. How does it feel to have your pulse on the top artists of our generation?
Ferrari Simmons: It feels great. At first, we weren’t getting credit. The bigger and bigger they got, the more so they saw Rari was there. Jack Harlow, I found him right out of high school. As soon as he made it through high school, he came right in here and did a Dungeon for me. DJ Drama found him off my Instagram page, signed him. True story.
AllHipHop: What are your relationships with these people now? Do you do interviews and reminisce on the early days?
Ferrari Simmons: Our last interview with Jack Harlow, he said the same thing. Gave us our credit. It was dope but as it’s happening, I’m like “wait a minute. Wait, did I connect some dots that I could’ve got paid for…?”
AllHipHop: I was finna say, you get a cut from that?
Ferrari Simmons: Nah in the beginning, I didn’t understand. We didn’t know what we were doing. I wanted to help people win, put people in a position to win. It’s cool. Lil Baby if I need something, he answers the phone. If I send him a text, he replies back. DaBaby, same thing. It’s all love. It’s all g, everything’s going smooth.
AllHipHop: Talk about your work ethic and what you had to do to get where you are.
Ferrari Simmons: It was a little hard for me because I came from a non-intern background. If you’re trying to do radio… I interned as an adult. [laughs] I had graduated college already at this point, I was an adult trying to get a radio job. I did intern, but I didn’t do it through college like most people do. After you graduate, if you prove yourself you’ll get hired. The whole 9. I didn’t have that story. I graduated from college, was all over the place trying to figure it out.
I started surrounding myself around people who could advance my career, told them what I wanted to do. I learned. An opportunity came when DJ Holiday got his show. I was able to get in the building and I learned how to do everything. I learned how to run his whole show. I learned how to create an air check. I created an air check and submitted it, they liked me and put me on air. I got better every week. When Holiday needed the day off, I did his whole entire show. When the afternoon person needed a day off, I did his whole entire show. Morning show needed a day off, I did their entire show. I learned how to cut commercials, then I learned how to deejay. I made sure I knew everything so if someone’s getting fired, I’m going to be one of the last people they let go.
AllHipHop: That’s crucial in times like this. Me being furloughed, I feel like I’m replaceable.
Ferrari Simmons: Not necessarily. Nobody from promotions is here either. That’s across the country because there’s nothing to do. There’s no clubs, there’s no live broadcast. There’s no remotes, no nothing. You’re coming back.
AllHipHop: “All Booties Matter” ft Lil Donald & Erica Banks. Are you producing or is this just your beat?
Ferrari Simmons: I signed the producer, so I manage the producer who made the beat. That’s a good play for me. This is the reason why, it segues right here. I’m always putting people together right? “You should do a song with this person.” Lil Donald had that song already.
AllHipHop: Who is that by the way?
Ferrari Simmons: He’s a local rapper here in Atlanta, he’s pretty dope. He had a couple songs that did really good on the streams and local radio. He had a little twerk song, I said “what you doing with that song?” He’s like “I ain’t really doing nothing.” I said “let me get that, I have somebody I want to put on it.” Ericka Banks, Carl with 1501 got something to prove with the Megan Thee Stallion drama. I figure “hey, let me get her on there. That’s going to be a good look for her, a good look for them.” They’re pushing the single for her, why not have one of the most important people in the city have a single with her on it? That’ll look good for her anyway, let me put her on it. Ferrari Simmons “All Booties Matter” the remix, let’s go. That’s a play that I did, it’s doing good. I actually didn’t think it’d do anything. I never really dropped a song like that so let me put it out there and see what it does. I gained support from everybody, it’s super dope.
AllHipHop: Can we expect an album from you?
Ferrari Simmons: Yeah, I already drop mixtapes and playlists. We’re going to do the same thing but it’s going to be my songs. Artists are sending me songs, I got some dope content. I got some dope full songs ready to go, look for that around August 20th.
AllHipHop: How is it releasing your own music, do you go through a distro company?
Ferrari Simmons: Yeah, I went through Stem Music. I like Stem, they did a dope roll out. Helped me out with some playlists, set me up on YouTube Music, Spotify. All DSPs, it’s everywhere. Amazon Music, Pandora, they got me everywhere. I thought it was dope to go through them. It was hands-on. I definitely don’t want to go anywhere else. I’ma stick with them.
AllHipHop: Who’s your Top 5 artists in rotation?
Of course Lil Baby, that’s my favorite rapper right now. Crazy, I’ma say DaBaby. Of course, I like Meg. I’ma throw in an unsigned artist, her name is Omeretta. She’s fire, you’ll be hearing about her soon. Super fire. I like NBA YoungBoy, but I do like me some Rylo Rodriguez from Alabama. I’m rocking with him right now.
AllHipHop: Is there an interview in the last year that’s your favorite?
Ferrari Simmons: Man, I’ve had so many memorable interviews. I’d say Future. We did his last interview, he doesn’t do interviews anymore. He came to the station, it was super cool. It blew me away because he knew everything about me and my co-host. I was humbled. I froze up a little bit like damn, you’re one of my favorite rappers.
AllHipHop: Why doesn’t he do interviews anymore?
Ferrari Simmons: He said he doesn’t need to do them anymore. [laughs] We did his last radio interview, he was promoting his album. Last year he’s doing his last little run, he’s like “I gotta do Rari and DC.” Came up here, I was definitely humbled. That humbled me all the way down.
AllHipHop: How much research do you do? Future has so much s##t in the vault.
Ferrari Simmons: I didn’t have to prep for Future because I know everything about him. He’s one of my favorite artists, so it was easy. It was open conversation. We talked about everything. That’s around the time when Gucci put that mask with the lip. That’s one of the questions I asked him: “is Gucci canceled?” He’s like “nah.” [laugh] I remember that.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite Future song?
Ferrari Simmons: Wow, you put me on the spot. “Lie to Me.”
AllHipHop: “March Madness” is my favorite Future song.
Ferrari Simmons: “March Madness” is everybody’s. That still goes off in the club. You have to go in the vault and listen to some old school Future.
AllHipHop: What are some goals for yourself?
Ferrari Simmons: Right now, I want to continue to release dope content. I’m in a new area, I’m in a new lane releasing music. I grew up listening to DJ Khaled. The route he took, I hope I can follow in his footsteps. That’s a high bar, but why not?
AllHipHop: You said entrepreneur, what do you have your hands in?
Ferrari Simmons: I sell my own hats. I got my own Rari hat. I’m actually not wearing one today. I always wear one. It came from people not knowing who my name was or who I was in the beginning, so it’s my logo on the hat. They do good whenever I drop them, I’m super excited about that.
AllHipHop: Bring us back to when the phrase “Hey Ferrari” came about.
Ferrari Simmons: It’s normal. When ladies see me, they be like “hey Ferrari!” I had an intern 4 years ago say “hey Ferrari,” I put a little echo on it. It’s normal: “hey Ferrari!”
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
Ferrari Simmons: Album coming out soon, I’m dropping some new content. I’ma drop a song in July, I’ma drop a song in August. Then I’ma drop an EP end of August.
(AllHipHop News) Piers Morgan has called on rappers stop saying the “n-word” in their songs.
Particularly when one considers how white people love singing along with rap songs by artists like Kanye West, it feels unreasonable to expect them simply say nothing when the racial epitaph is said in their jam.
Morgan was on Good Morning Britain when he made the comments. The context was around whether or not white people should use the “n-word.”
He said, “No white person should use it but if they are singing along to a Kanye West song at a party I can see that is problematic.”
“The best way” he continued to say, “[is] to stop it happening is for them not to put it in the songs,” Piers Morgan argued.
Piers noted that white people are often confused as to why they use the epitaph if Black people are allowed to use the slur.
“If Black people are using it then some people think ‘why can’t I’ … Wouldn’t it be better if rap stars did stop peppering all their songs with the ‘n-word?’”
While Piers seems to be an ally, there are still things that he could learn about even the suggestion of shifting culture, so that white folk won’t be tempted to say the word.
But Ta-Nehisi Coates has a very succinct way that he has laid it out.
Tim Wise says that as a white man, he can think of no context where he can ever audiblize the n-word. In his mind, the difference is history and context.
History and context are very important in understanding why whites should not say the word.
50 Cent and Ja Rule’s 20-year-plus feud is probably never going to end.
To this day, 50 will find any reason to clown Ja Rule. And this past weekend was open season for jokes. Apparently, Ja Rule recorded a commercial for a local gyro restaurant. This was a clowning opportunity that Fif could not pass up.
In the video, we see Ja Rule talking Greek food, and clearly enjoying himself as he tosses fresh pitas in the air. He urges his friends and fans to come through the gyro spot with him.
“This is what happens when you f*ck with me. I’ll have you and your whole label selling Gyros. Go head, try me!,” wrote 50 Cent.
Ja has several ventures outside of Hip-Hop, and he’s sure found a new way to keep his name trending on social media.
As the video quickly spread like wildfire, social media reactions took over social feeds.
(AllHipHop News) Alicia Keys has shocked fans with news she was close to becoming a member of girl band 3LW in the early days of her career.
Alicia dropped out of the running to join the trio shortly before she released her Grammy-winning solo debut album, Songs in A Minor, in 2001.
“My second band that I was in, was kind of like one of these projects that are put together by people, and they heard I sang and they were like, ‘Oh, maybe you could be a part of it…,'” Alicia recalled during WIRED’s Autocomplete Interviews Video Series. “It didn’t work out with me, but eventually they came out. I think their name was Little Women, but I was never part of that.”
Alicia scooped up five Grammys for Songs in A Minor after stepping away from the opportunity to join 3LW, short for 3 Little Women, comprised of Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams, and Naturi Naughton.
Their biggest hit, “No More (Baby I’ma Do Right),” was released in 2000, a year ahead of Alicia’s solo debut.
