(AllHipHop News) Rap mogul Suge Knight has denied being involved in a conspiracy to bribe witnesses, in relation to his upcoming murder trial.

Suge appeared in court just days after two members of his defense team were arrested and charged with accessory to murder after the fact.

“I’m not Donald Trump, but it’s fake news,” Suge Knight said during a hearing.

Thaddeus Culpepper and Suge’s other lawyer Matthew Fletcher were arrested by the LAPD, for allegedly attempting to bribe witnesses.

Matthew Fletcher is accused working with Suge to pay as much as $25,000 to bikers for phony testimony.

Thaddeus Culpepper is accused of trying to pay a man for favorable testimony for Suge Knight, but the man turned out to be an informant.

Fletcher was locked up on $1,000,000 bail and released, while Culpepper was back on the street the next day.

“What they were charging me with is impossible,” Thaddeus Culpepper said. “I’m charged with defending my client as to this murder and they’re charging me with accessory to murder after the fact based on a false confidential informant sham kind of program.”

Prosecutors have charged Suge Knight with murder and attempted murder after he ran down two men during an argument at a burger stand in Los Angeles in January of 2015.

Terry Carter was killed during the deadly encounter, while Cle “Bone” Sloan suffered serious injuries.

Suge will stand trial for the charges later this month.

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(AllHipHop News) Rapper Dae Dae is facing legal troubles, after a traffic stop in Atlanta yesterday February 1st.

Dae Dae, born Marquavis Goolsby, was a passenger in a car that was stopped for traveling 92 miles per hour in a 70 mile per hour zone.

Police found a stolen gun during a search of the car and hit the rapper with weapons violations.

As the “Wat U Mean (Aye, Aye, Aye)” hitmaker was traveling to the police station, cops claim he tried to stuff a bag of marijuana into the patrol car seat.

Now, Dae Dae is facing charges that include possession of a stolen gun and drugs.

(AllHipHop News) Rap newcomer Lil Skies just heading out on the road for his first-ever headlining tour.

The recent XXL Freshman will launch the “LIFE OF A DARK ROSE” tour, in support of his mixtape of the same name.

Lil Skies, 19, will kick off the tour this March in Seattle, Washington and will wind down the outing in Dallas, Texas on April 3rd.

In addition to the tour announcement, Lil Skies just dropped the video for his single “Lettuce Sandwich,” which the rapper said was inspired by his favorite horror movies, “Mad Max,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “American Psycho.”

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March 11 – Seattle, WA

March 13 – San Francisco

March 14 – Santa Ana, CA

March 15 – Los Angeles, CA

March 16 – Phoenix, AZ

March 18 – Denver, CO

March 20 – Minneapolis, MN

March 21 – Milwaukee, WI

March 22 – Chicago, IL

March 23 – Detroit, MI

March 25 – Boston, MA

March 26 – New York, NY

March 27 – Philadelphia, PA

March 28 – Washington, DC

March 30 – Atlanta, GA

April 2 – Houston, TX

April 3 – Dallas, TX

(AllHipHop News) Snoop Dogg debuted material off his highly anticipated new gospel album, titled Bible of Love during the 19th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration (SBGC). The Long Beach rapper unveiled new songs during his set at the Benson Great Hall at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Snoop hit the stage after an introduction by The Twin Cities’ Mayors of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Melvin Carter and Jacob Frey. The rapper, along with Rance Allen, The Clark Sisters, and Tye Tribbett to debuted the tracks “Blessed and Highly Favored,” “You,” “Blessing Me Again” and “Saved.” Other artists who performed during the SBGC included Erica Campbell, Sheila E., Donnie McClurkin and instrumental ensemble Sounds of Blackness. The 19th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will air on the BET for the fifth consecutive year on Saturday, February 3rd, 2018 at 11:00 p.m. ET.

(AllHipHop News) Police in New York want to question rapper Desiigner after he was caught on camera exposing himself during an argument.

The rapper was embroiled in some sort of traffic dispute with an unidentified man.

Desiigner became so mad during the argument, that he pulled down his pants and exposed himself while telling the man to “suck his d##k” while labeling the man a “fa##ot.”

A traffic cop came up, to help cool down the situation, but Desiigner dropped his pants again – in front of the police officer.

Desiigner hopped in his SUV but became enraged once more, and exited his vehicle to attack the unidentified man, but the “Panda” rap star was quickly subdued by his entourage.

Now, police are looking to talk to the rapper about the incident, which was caught on camera.

Take a look.

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(AllHipHop News) Top producer Dj Khaled has hinted at plans for a new collaboration between former rap rivals Jay-Z and Nas.

The “Wild Thoughts” hitmaker has taken to Instagram to share a photo of himself standing between the two smiling hip-hop icons, who are in the middle of a conversation, and in the accompanying caption, Khaled suggests the three of them are working on something special.

“A hip hop dream is now our reality,” he wrote next to the black-and-white snap. “The language being spoken in this picture should be written in scriptures. This picture should be framed and put up in the museums across the world for future generations to appreciate. I’ll tell you while we’re smiling at a later date. Trust me you’re gonna love it! BLESS UP!”

The cryptic caption has sparked speculation a new song is in the works, 13 years after Jay-Z and Nas officially quashed their rap beef.

The two New York natives became engaged in a war of words from 2001 to 2005, trading jabs in their music, before settling their differences and working together in 2006, when Nas signed to Def Jam Recordings while Jay-Z served as the label’s president.

They went on to hit the recording studio together on a handful of occasions, most recently in 2013, when they worked on “BBC” from Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail album.

Khaled, who is managed by Jay-Z under his Roc Nation firm, has become known for teasing big collaborations via social media.

He recently let slip that Jennifer Lopez had secured a song with rap newcomer Cardi B, which J.Lo has since confirmed.

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(AllHipHop News) Rapper Jay-Z has filed paperwork to trademark his signature diamond figure hand sign.

The “Empire State of Mind” hitmaker has been flashing the Roc-A-Fella Records diamond sign for several years and he is now seeking to obtain exclusive rights to it.

In 2005, the 48-year-old was sued by former wrestler Diamond Dallas Page over the use of the hand symbol, because it closely resembled his Diamond Cutter gesture.

The trademark infringement lawsuit was settled out of court in 2007.

(AllHipHop News) Kanye West and Solange Knowles have been hit with a lawsuit from a musician who claims both stars ripped off one of his songs.

Singer/songwriter Leroy Mitchell alleges Kanye and Beyonce’s younger sister sampled his 1970 track “If We Can’t Be Lovers” without permission.

The performer, who also goes by the name Prince Phillip Mitchell, claims West stole portions of the ballad for his song “Everything I Am,” while Knowles did the same for “F##k the Industry.”

“Everything I Am” was released in 2007, while Knowles’ track debuted the following year.

According to reports Mitchell is seeking an undisclosed sum for copyright infringement and is asking for both artists to stop performing their songs.

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(AllHipHop News) At the Global Citizen and Tidal pre-Grammy celebrations, Karim “French Montana” Kharbouch announced his official partnership with Global Citizen. The newly named Ambassador will champion healthcare and education in Africa and developing communities.

“I am honored to become Global Citizen’s newest Ambassador,” says French Montana. “My life changed forever after my trip to Uganda and I am excited to continue engaging my fans to use their voices to advocate for universal health coverage and education for those living in extreme poverty.”

Last year, the Bad Boy/Epic recording artist filmed his “Unforgettable” visuals and his Project Unforgettable: “My Project, Their Reality” documentary in Uganda. That experience led French to partner with Global Citizen to support MAMA HOPE, an organization advocating for global entrepreneurship to help end extreme poverty.

“1 in 5 children in Africa lack access to basic, life-saving vaccines and the associated deaths are unacceptable. Affordable, effective interventions like vaccines have proven track records, immediate impacts, and keep our world safer,” states Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans. “Yet globally, 400 million people lack access to basic health services and 100 million people are pushed into extreme poverty trying to pay for healthcare.”

Evans continues, “We are so happy to be partnering with French Montana, who embodies the true meaning of being a Global Citizen and are grateful for his commitment to use his platform to lift up those in most need. Together with French in 2018, we will call on governments to take concrete steps towards realizing universal health coverage for their people.”

In October, the Moroccan-born rapper returned to the country to shoot the music video for “Famous,” and he was introduced to CARE Morocco by Global Citizen. French also started a plan of action to equip Casablanca’s CARE Morocco school with computers and books, provide teacher training, launch an arts program for the students, and provide outreach support for parents.

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(AllHipHop News) Recent comments by Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow have been hit with widespread backlash. After Alessia Cara became the only female winner to receive a 2018 Grammy Award during the televised portion of the event, Portnow responded by suggesting women in the industry needed to “step up” if they wanted to be recognized.

The former record label executive eventually walked back his words, but that did not prevent a petition calling for his removal to gain over 13,000 signatures. Stars such as Pink, Sheryl Crow, and Vanessa Carlton slammed the Recording Academy head on social media as well.

Four-time Grammy winner India.Arie joined the chorus of artists addressing Neil Portnow’s “step up” statement. The singer-songwriter dedicated her 2018 performance of “I Am Light” to “being worthy,” and she also wrote an open letter about the situation.

Read India.Arie’s letter below.

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Worthy

In this performance, “Worthy” is behind me on this stage, because it is my favorite word, my mantra, my life’s philosophy. I KNOW NOW, with NO uncertainty, that regardless of the lack of compassion and fairness that the world shows us at times, That I AM WORTHY! WE ALL ARE.

My favorite definition of this word is: deserving of regard and respect.

And anytime someone comes to treat me as less, I know THEY are mistaken.

Neil Portnow is mistaken. His statements are a mess, but I get why he can’t empathize with women and women of color. HE is saying, the more women there are, the more chances women have to WIN. BUT. WE NEED MORE WOMEN, more WOMEN OF COLOR AND MORE INCLUSIVE MINDED PEOPLE in positions of power, in the rooms where decisions are made. When this happens, doors will open for women to be represented in more DIVERSE WAYS. The music industry is dominated by white men and the Grammys and NARAS are run and produced by ONLY white men. The fact that Portnow says we’d “be welcomed” indicates that he doesn’t think we’re part of the household to begin with.

India.Arie

–

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(AllHipHop News) Rapper Wiz Khalifa has been named in a lawsuit filed by a man he met at an airport.

Dustin Bennett claims Wiz ripped off his 2010 song “Most of Us” after the unknown hip-hop hopeful gave him a demo copy of the tune following a chance meeting at the Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah.

Bennett alleges he gave Wiz two copies of his CD in the hope of persuading the rap star to work with him.

Bennett says he never saw or spoke to the “See You Again” hitmaker again, but in 2016 the rap superstar released the album Khalifa, which featured the song “Most of Us.”

In his complaint, he claims Wiz stole “the refrain and chorus” and the lyrics to his song.

“Both tracks have the same title,” the lawsuit contends, “The exact words ‘most of us’ appear approximately 80 times throughout the Khalifa song, and Khalifa used the exact lyrics in the exact manner as Bennett by introducing each refrain in the same style in the Khalifa song.”

https://youtu.be/-BQrhlVjL2Y

(AllHipHop News) Bruno Mars left the Grammy Awards on Sunday as the big winner of the night. The 24K Magic LP creator became the first solo male artist in 25 years to win Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year, and Album Of The Year at the same ceremony.

While accepting the AOTY trophy, Mars recognized his R&B/New Jack Swing influences. His on-stage speech included shout outs to Babyface, Teddy Riley, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis.

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds spoke about Bruno’s public acknowledgement in an article for Billboard. The 11-time Grammy-winning singer/producer stated:

I’m very proud of [Mars] and his accomplishments. I had the opportunity to go into the studio and work with and write with him, and I had so much respect for his work ethic ’cause it was very close to how I did it, and how I do it. I think he’s genius in his approach and one of the best entertainers we’ve had in a very, very long time. I consider Bruno in the same category with Prince and with Michael Jackson; He’s one of those guys who can actually stand with those artists, and there aren’t a lot of artists I can actually say that about and say it with confidence and feel like he would deserve to be on that same stage as them.

Babyface is currently working with Teddy Riley on the theme song for BET’s forthcoming Bobby Brown biopic. Both Edmonds and Riley wrote and produce records for the New Edition member in the 1990s.

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(AllHipHop News) As one of the breakout music stars of 2017, Khalid tapped into the under-20 mindset with his platinum-certified album American Teen. As a black man in the United States, the Texas-bred singer claims to have experienced injustice first hand.

“Police brutality is so big right now in America and I hate it, because police are supposed to be our protectors, they’re supposed to be the people that save us. Why is it that when my friends and I are walking down the street the moment that we hear a police car we get the chills, we get frightened?” Khalid expressed to Montreality. “I’ve been a victim of police brutality. When I was a kid, I was like 15 years old. I got stereotyped.”

He continued, “I was walking down the street, and someone accused me of committing a crime that I didn’t even make. It’s stupid. I kind of wish it didn’t exist. Hopefully with the evolvement of America as a whole, after this presidency is said and done, we’ll have more time focusing on being positive and being helpful.”

Khalid has also spoken out about another social issue presently sparking conversations across the country. Last year, the “Young Dumb & Broke” performer shared a time when a female fan allegedly groped him.

“I love interacting and talking to fans but I also love respecting others so don’t disrespect me when I’m being nice,” tweeted the Grammy nominated artist in November.

(AllHipHop News) Congrats go out to Matthew “Boi-1da” Samuels. The Canadian beatmaker had an amazing week on the charts, thanks to three songs he produced holding a Top 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Drake’s record-setting tracks “God’s Plan” and “Diplomatic Immunity” debuted at #1 and #7, respectively. G-Eazy’s “No Limit” featuring A$AP Rocky and Cardi B currently sits at #10.

“This is God’s work. I’m blessed to have accomplished the things that I have in my career. This is the kind of thing that you dream about as a kid making beats in your basement,” says Boi-1da.

The Jamaica-born musician now has three career Number 1s as a producer. Eminem’s “Not Afraid” (2010) and Rihanna’s “Work” with Drake (2016) topped the Hot 100 as well.

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(AllHipHop News) Back in 2016, Justin Timberlake found himself on the wrong side of Twitter detractors. Actor/activist Jesse Williams gave a passionate BET Awards speech about dismantling the idea of white supremacy, and Timberlake responded to Williams’ message by tweeting “inspired.”

A Twitter user then called out JT for what he perceived as years of cultural appropriation conducted by the Tennessee native. The ex-Boy Bander countered his critic by posting, “Oh, you sweet soul. The more you realize that we are the same, the more we can have a conversation.”

That “tone-def” reaction led to even more backlash which forced Timberlake to apologize. Apparently, the Super Bowl LII halftime performer is still reflecting on his Summer 16 tweet and the aftermath.

Beats 1 Radio’s Zane Lowe asked JT if his “Say Something” record with Chris Stapleton was a reflection on well-intentioned statements getting taken the wrong way. Timberlake admitted he and Stapleton wrote that song almost a year ago in the midst of “weird things” taking place in the world.

“I said I want to speak up and I want to say something but I just don’t want to get caught in the rhythm of something because if the rhythm goes off, the train goes off the tracks. And [Stapleton] was just like, ‘ok I’ll be right back,’” recalled the Man of the Woods album creator. “And [Stapleton] wrote those two lines down and then he sort of took a second to himself. I think maybe with the notoriety that has come his way in recent years, because he’s penned so many songs for so many artists on that side of the fence and now to be a solo artist, I think he’s starting to see that you can be in the middle of a storm of confusion.”

Later, Lowe directly brought up celebrities communicating through social media in general and specifically Justin’s Twitter exchange about Williams’ speech. Timberlake replied, “And you feel terrible, like, ‘oh man, that is not what I meant. Why did I do that?’ You realize too, that patience really is a virtue. You have to learn that… So it can be very confusing. I feel like that song is about that moment.”

(AllHipHop News) “Pray For Me” – the latest single from Black Panther: The Album – has made its way to the internet. The track is a Kendrick Lamar-The Weeknd collaboration.

Lamar and his TDE CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith are curating the entire Black Panther soundtrack. The forthcoming set also includes contributions from SZA, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Future, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, Khalid, Vince Staples, and more.

“Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is amazing, from its cast to its director [Ryan Coogler],” says Lamar. “The magnitude of this film showcases a great marriage of art and culture. I’m truly honored to contribute my knowledge of producing sound and writing music alongside Ryan and Marvel’s vision.”

“Pray For Me” follows the release of “All The Stars” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA as well as “King’s Dead” by Kendrick, Jay Rock, Future, and James Blake. Black Panther: The Album is scheduled for release on February 9, one week before the movie hits theaters.

(AllHipHop News) Some of the most celebrated female rappers in history are set to take part in a live event. Trina, Remy Ma, Eve, MC Lyte, Rah Digga, Monie Love, Yo Yo, Mia X, Nikki D, and The Lady of Rage are all listed on the line-up for the “Queens of Hip-Hop” concert.

The showcase will take place March 17 at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta. Following that historic night, a nationwide tour is planned for the future.

“I am honored to share the stage with women who have placed an imprint on the Hip Hop scene of music worldwide with their sound and stamp,” says Trina. “The ‘Queens of Hip Hop Tour’ supports empowering women of music, more so, Hip Hop and being able to unite for our fans on one stage.”

The Love & Hip Hop: Miami star adds, “I look forward to seeing my fellow female emcees, and presenting a memorable performance experience for my Rockstarrs.”

More dates for the “Queens of Hip Hop Tour” are expected to be announced soon. Stops are anticipated to take place in Los Angeles and New York.

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