(AllHipHop News) Alicia Keys is stepping down as a judge on U.S. TV talent show “The Voice.”
The “No One” singer has announced she won’t be returning to the big red chair alongside Miley Cyrus next season.
Instead, Alicia will be focusing on her new album, which fans can expect “soon.”
“I’m about halfway,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “I’m ready for the next one already, which was kind of the plan the whole time… and my next body of work is already in the works. I’m excited!
“I can’t wait for you to hear new music, and so that’s one of the reasons why I won’t be able to come back next season.”
But fellow judge Blake Shelton insists Alicia won’t be gone for good: “I know she’s not going anywhere,” he joked. “It’s all just a media thing, a ploy. She’ll be back next year and the year after that.”
Shelton’s girlfriend Gwen Stefani and Adam Levine are also current judges on the U.S. version of the hit show.
During his time in Hawaii after performing 3 shows in Honolulu as part of the annual “Foolapalooza” festival, StephenRedhead also shot a music video for his track “Red Carpet.” The record appeared on his debut album “Exxxactly,” which was released this past November.
Directed by Hawaii’s own DJ Idea, as well as Redhead himself, the visual depicts the Maryland rapper taking a young Hawaiian girl out on a date and showing her the finer things in life.
Since the early 90’s, Memphis has been home to many great Hip-Hop acts such as Yo Gotti, Juicy J, Young Dolph, Eight Ball & MJG and more; who have since laid the foundation for the next generation of Southern rap, including up and comer Tony Swag.
Swag is best known for being apart of the duo Dirty Ark Boyz, who collaborated with Young Dolph and Sonny Digital last year on their break-out single “TMIH.” Now, Tony is stepping out on his own and starts things off with his solo mixtape “Big Tony.”
The 18-track project has no features, no big name producers or gimmicks, just a real captivating story that many can relate too, solidifying “Big Tony” as a fan favorite and street classic.
Six years later, Kendrick has released three critically acclaimed major label albums including 2017’s DAMN.
Game took the time to continue to show love to his “The City” collaborator as an artist.
The California representative posted on Instagram:
From me to whoever THE F-CK is concerned…… this album is a DOPE AS F-CK blood !!! & it’s the Lil homie’s 3rd LP…. if you are a true fan of HIP HOP, then you have it memorized by now !!! If you are a hip hop fan & you do not have @kendricklamar sh-t by now…… F-CK YOU, that’s on Compton, Bompton & my hood & my kids…. my lil n-gga raw as f-ck & it been that way…. Dot I’m proud of you blood, Top.. you know what it is wit OG CHUCK homie….. I studied the album & im proud of this sh-t my n#### !!! K-Dot, you know where we from & what it took for n-ggas like us to not only make it out the HUB alive but to achieve greatness on the same accord is nothing short of a blessing….. this sh-t got me beyond motivated.. glad REAL RAP still exist…. no disrespect to you sucka n-ggas… but f-ck y’all, you can’t rap & ya mama know you ain’t sh-t….. this COMPTON Sh-t ain’t never been for play… I brought @DrDre back to the hood & showed him what is was on Cedar Block….. “WESTSIDE STORY” coming soon……
While praising K. Dot’s latest project, Game reminded his 8 million followers he is working on his ninth studio LP titled Westside Story.
(AllHipHop News) Ja Rule and the other organizers of the abandoned Fyre Festival are facing a new lawsuit over the disastrous luxury event.
Ticket holders, who had paid up to $12,000 to attend, arrived on Great Exuma island in The Bahamas to discover the luxury accommodation they were promised did not exist.
Instead, fans expecting to see musicians including Migos and Major Lazer, were forced to stay in disaster relief tents until they could be flown off the island.
According to editors at The Hollywood Reporter, personal injury lawyer John Girardi has now filed a lawsuit on behalf of festival goers Chelsea Chinery, Shannon McAuliffe and Desiree Flores alleging breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation and fraud against Ja Rule and his partners.
Girardi’s suit, filed on Tuesday (May 2) in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims festival organizers tricked people into attending the event by paying more than 400 social media stars and celebrities to promote it.
He also alleges the celebrities breached America’s Federal Trade Commission regulations by promoting the event without disclosing they had been paid.
Another festival goer has told said they are considering legal action against Fyre Festival organizers.
Those reported to have been paid to promote the music event include models Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski.
After fans began being evacuated from the island, Bella issued a statement which read:
“I initially trusted this would be an amazing & memorable experience for all of us, which is why I agreed to do one promotion…not knowing about the disaster that was to come…I feel so sorry and badly because this is something I couldn’t stand by, although of course if I would have known about the outcome, you would have all known too.”
Ja Rule has also apologized for the festival fiasco.
A leaked business plan showed that in addition to Bella, Kendall, and Emily, organizers had planned to involve Jamie Foxx, Iggy Azalea and Lil Wayne in the promotion of the event.
(AllHipHop News) As Travis Scott’s single “Goosebumps” featuring Kendrick Lamar continues to collect Gold and Platinum plaques, the Houston native is also having to deal with some legal matters.
TMZreports Lyor Cohen’s LCAR Management company is suing Scott for breach of contract.
LCAR claims the rapper signed a 3-year contract in 2014 and is guaranteed 15% of all of his entertainment revenue totaling around $2 million at this point.
According to the suit, the 25-year-old rhymer has only paid about $37,000 to his former management team.
Sources connected to Scott suggest the Epic Records signee believed Cohen and LCAR were not managing his career properly so he joined with another management company.
Travis Scott released his sophomore studio album Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight in 2016.
(AllHipHop Features) There can’t be a discussion about the pillars of southern Hip Hop without mentioning the Grammy-winning duo known as OutKast. Big Boi, Andre 3000, and the entire Dungeon Family crew’s artistic output influenced an entire generation of music acts, including South Carolina spitter Nick Grant.
With OutKast’s debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik celebrating its 23rd-anniversary last week and the project’s production team Organized Noize dropping a new EP on May 5, it’s the perfect time to get Grant to reflect on the classic LP that he considers a personal favorite.
The Culture Republic representative subtly affirmed himself as a musical offspring of Kast with the intro track to his own 2016 mixtape titled 88. NG’s song begins with a soundbite from Dre’s famous acceptance speech at the 1995 Source Awards where the lyrical genius declared: “the south got something to say.”
Grant had a lot to say about OutKast, Organized Noize, and the Dungeon Family as he shared experiences connected to the hitmakers and the platinum-certified Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.
My Earliest Memory Connected ToSouthernplayalisticadillacmuzik
The earliest memory I had was watching the “Player’s Ball” video and seeing Dre’s early outfit choices. I used to try to do the Kangol hats with the Braves baseball jersey. Even as a kid, it weighed heavy on me. From the jump, listening to their music and watching how they would do their thing, I would try to emulate it. They had a huge influence on me musically and how I chose to move. I’m a very big fan of OutKast.
My Favorite Song Off The Album
That’s so hard. My favorite record on Southernplayalistic… “Player’s Ball” is one, but “G## Up, G## Out”… “Crumblin’ Erb,” that was another one. “G## Up, G## Out” was probably my favorite. Being from the south, it just said a lot of stuff that stuck with me and it was just so honest. If you don’t get up and put in the work, nothing is really gonna happen for you. If you sit around all day, you’re gonna be stuck in your pain. If you sit around all day, you’re gonna be uninspired. If you sit around and complain all day, nothing is gonna happen for you. That’s what I got from that record and when you get that kind of wisdom poured on you through music at an early age, it really just sits with you and sticks with you. So that was one of the first records I heard that had a positive message – a very inspiring, motivating message. And it had CeeLo on the hook. You can never go wrong with CeeLo on the hook, whether he’s rapping or singing.
My Favorite Line Off The Album
It would be Dre’s whole verse on “G## Up, G## Out.” Everything. “They laying my mama off work, General Motors trippin.” It was just like real stuff in that verse, the realest things in those verses. They said a whole lot of honest and real stuff that people, everyday people, could relate to. They’re my favorite group of all time. They’re the greatest group ever. Without them, I wouldn’t be a rapper.
OutKast’s Impact On Me As An Artist
OutKast taught me a number of things. The number one thing was just being yourself, staying in your lane, and doing the music that you love to do from your heart. That was one of the first things I learned. Another thing that I learned as an artist was you can find fun ways to tell depressing stories. It was certain things that they would struggle with in life, just in life period, and they found fun ways to poke at their pain and still come across as dope. It was serious but it was still playful, and they were just the voice for a lot of people. It was fun music but it still had that balance where what they were talking about wasn’t a joke, even though they’re laughing and partying and the videos were colorful.
I ran into Big Boi at a party and later he told [Culture Republic head Jason Geter] I was one of his favorite artists. I feel like an honorary Dungeon Family member. I remember being in the studio with Ray Murray and him telling me when I was like, “Yo, I don’t want to rap over that beat, it has a sample.” He was like, “You are worrying about the wrong thing. If you got something to say, you need to say it. Don’t worry about the beat. You change all that later but if you got something to say, you just need to go ahead and say it. Don’t worry about samples, don’t worry about none of that ‘cause you’re gonna hinder your message. If you worry about the business and don’t focus on the art, you’re gonna lose focus of the feeling and the points you’re trying to come across within your music.” Rico… his energy is just like nobody else’s I’ve ever been in the studio with. And Sleepy Brown, we all know what he does. He’s responsible for the soundtrack to my life in a sense.
To be co-signed by Dre, have him come out to one of my shows, and for me to hear that I’m one of Big Boi’s favorite rappers, you can’t pay for that. I know where the culture sits right now, and right now a lot of platforms use popularity as the measuring stick for the culture. These guys made me look beyond it – being the popular guy – cause I’m not the most popular person. The people that are most popular don’t get the type of opportunities I’ve had which is sitting with legends, having dinner with legends, and having legendary people coming out to your shows. That’s bigger than anything to me and I don’t take it for granted. I love ‘em. I love Outkast. They changed my life; they changed music. They are to me what Parliament Funkadelic was to them growing up.
(AllHipHop Rumors) It looks like Kanye West could’ve actually ditched the Met Gala for a different reason!
Rumors spread that Ye decided to skip this year’s gala because there has allegedly been trouble in paradise between him and his wife Kim Kardashian. Yeezy has even been rumored to be paranoid, staying in more, and wearing bullet proof vests when he actually does step out.
Rumor has it that Ye may have actually skipped the gala because he’s still fuming over Kim K’s unphotoshopped sloppy vacation pics from Mexico that hit the net.
The photos were so unflattering that folks didn’t know if they looked so bad from not being photoshopped or had a troll photoshopped them to make Kimmy Kakes look bad.
“Kanye has helped turned Kim into a fashion icon and he feels those pictures with Kourtney have made her look cheap, damaging her brand. He’s angry with Kourtney for seemingly leading her on, as she clearly reveled in turning their session into a photoshoot. Their behavior completely detracted from Kim’s current standing in the industry.”
According to People Magazine, Ye really skipped MET because he just wasn’t ready to be back in the public eye yet.
“It had nothing to do with the Met Gala. It was more about the stress and pressure of a big red carpet. He just wasn’t quite there yet. Kanye has been doing okay. He’s made a lot of good progress and is in a much better place. He’s still very much enjoying his time off from public events. He’ll be staying back in LA with their kids [North and Saint]. Everything is great with him and Kim and he’s supportive of her going solo.”
I mean I could see Ye being mad about Kim’s pics but only for a second or a day.
(AllHipHop News) Rapper Chief Keef has become a wanted man in Miami, Florida after missing his arraignment for a driving under the influence (DUI) charge.
The 21-year-old, real name Keith Cozart, was the driver in one of two cars pulled over by police last month after officers suspected him of taking part in a drug transaction.
Four people in the other vehicle were also slapped with misdemeanor possession charges.
Chief Keef was due to face the accusations in a Miami court on Tuesday (May 2), but he was a no show, prompting the judge to issue a warrant for his arrest, according to reports.
Representatives for the troubled MC have yet to comment on the case, his second DUI in three years.
The rapper was also declared a fugitive in August, 2014, after failing to attend a hearing in his native Chicago, Illinois for the same charge.
His arrest in that incident took place in March, 2014, just days after he completed a court-ordered stint in rehab to deal with his marijuana habit.
(AllHipHop News) Anyone that has seen recent Hip Hop biopics (e.g., CrazySexyCool: The TLCStory, Straight Outta Compton, The New Edition Story) knows not being informed of what’s in a record contract could cause a lot of money not trickling down to the artist.
That’s why, for some, it came as a shock to hear Lil Yachty admit he does not know whether he’s signed to a 360 deal with Quality Control/Capitol.
Yachty was asked about his record label situation while appearing on Everyday Struggle.
“Are you in a 360?” asked host Joe Budden.
“I don’t know. Am I?” answered Yachty.
A 360 record deal is one where a label provides upfront financial support for an artist in exchange for a percentage of multiple revenue streams likely including music sales, live performances, endorsements, publishing, and more.
Yachty seemingly not being certain of the details of his contract could mean his label is making money off his partnerships with companies such as Sprite, Target, and Nautica without the 19-year-old’s knowledge.
“I don’t know,” responded Yachty when co-host DJ Akademiks questioned if the label gets a cut of his Sprite deal. “I know I have an amazing deal. I have an amazing attorney.”
More surprisingly, Yachty claimed he is not even aware of what a 360 deal is.
“I heard about it,” said the “One Night” performer. “You’ll have to explain it to me.”
The 360 deal conversation came after Yachty declared he was the best at business among the current new class of rappers.
“I don’t believe I’m doing the best music. I believe I’m doing the best business,” he stated. “I believe when it comes to overall package and sh-t, I’m the one who’s really got this sh-t on lock.”
UPDATE:
Lil Yachty has addressed the conversation about the 360 deal question on Twitter.
“Y’all gotta understand just because I didn’t know the term name ‘360 Deal’ Doesn’t Mean I Don’t Know What Kind Of Deal I Have,” posted Yachty. “I Only Wasn’t Aware Of The Term ‘360 Deal’… I Own All My Publishing & Ive Recouped My Deal. For those So Pressed. Chill. I’m Good.”
(AllHipHop News) European fans of Chance The Rapper will not be able to catch the Grammy winner at scheduled festivals this summer.
Consequence Of Sound reports Chance has canceled dates at Norway’s Oya Festival, Belgium’s Pukkelpop, Denmark’s Haven, and Sweden’s Way Out West Festival.
It is with regret that Chance the Rapper has to cancel his upcoming performance at Way Out West and his European festival tour in August. This is due to scheduling conflicts beyond his control. Chance sends his apologies to his fans and looks forward to returning to Europe soon.
Chance is still on track for his North American tour dates.
The Chicago emcee’s next stops on the “Be Encouraged Tour” are set for Denver on May 3 and Dallas on May 5.
(AllHipHop News) Funkmaster Flex used his social media accounts to address a 23-year-old incident – the infamous robbery ambush of Tupac Shakur at Quad Recording Studios.
In an Instagram Live video captured by LevelUpHipHop, Flex can be heard speaking on the 1994 shooting in New York City.
The Hot 97 radio personality claimed that 2Pac saw some individuals in the lobby that tried to confront him, got nervous, and then accidentally shot himself.
Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s Lil Cease responded to Flex in the video’s comment section.
Cease stated, “He resisted! From what I know… and I heard he reached for this joint and pop himself 1st by mistake.”
The Brooklyn-raised rapper later returned to Instagram to clarify he did no intend to “speak negative of Tupac or anybody dead.”
Flex further addressed the Pac shooting in a separate IG post.
He wrote:
The F-cking truth!!!! They was never going to shoot him.. he was suppose to run the jewels… he panicked shot himself…. then went on a Biggie campaign… ( he knew why it was happening) yes I dislike him for that… yes I feel a way… because I know the truth… we all knew the truth…. Big never did nothing to him…. (here come the Stans) !!!!! IT MAKES ME SICK TO HEAR U STANS TALK AND WORSHIP THAT BEHAVIOR…. THE TRUTH F-CKING HURTS… ITS THE TRUTH!!!!! Half the Stans in these comments are born after they died and grew up worshipping bullsh-t stories and myths!
2Pac supposedly blamed The Notorious B.I.G., Junior M.A.F.I.A, Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, and James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond for the Quad attack.
Imani Scott’s music video for her single Get Litty is hot.
The vision for the video portrayed the lyrics so well, with people turning up and enjoying life. The release of the video couldn’t have come at a better time. Music today is missing what Imani Scott is bringing with Get Litty. That feel good music!Imani has expressed before how music today promotes being numb, and not caring about anything.
In the video you see Imani at a backyard BBQ with friends and family enjoying themselves. Although the song references hitting the city, the video shows that a good time can take place anywhere. Imani even showed her admiration for the The Brady Brunchin a creative way. Overall, the video is a wonderful representation of what the world needs right now. Every now and then people should let go of their worries and celebrate life.
Stay tuned for announcements about the upcoming release of her LP “The Introduction” and a live performance to kick off #TheDiamondRush movement.
Looks like Anjali and Casey Veggies have been friends for a minute but now its time for the music!
Check out the hot new sound coming from Bay Area native Anjali, mixing up the flavor with some LA swag paying homage to Lumidee’s 2003 “Never Leave You”.
Check out the record below. We guarantee you will have it on repeat.
(AllHipHop News) Devyne Stephens is reportedly suing his former business partner Akon over unpaid fees.
According to TMZ, Stephens wants $150 million from the singer/businessman.
The website reports:
Stephens is the music exec who famously helped launch Akon’s career, and his Konvict Music label — and in a new lawsuit he says he’s supposed to be getting 40% of everything Akon’s earned since 2006. He says their contract gives him a cut of record sales, touring rights, royalties and more.
Figures posted by TMZ suggest Akon has made close to $400 million over the last decade.
Stephens is the founder of Upfront Megatainment, and he once worked at LaFace Records.
The Atlanta native is credited with contributing to the careers of Usher, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, T-Pain, and other artists.
The U.S. TV host took to Instagram to share a throwback photograph seemingly showing him and Monique as children on Tuesday morning (May 2) and to write an emotional tribute.
“My heart hurts with great sadness tonight,” he wrote. “I just learned that the one life lost in the senseless and tragic mass shooting in San Diego was my childhood friend, who was more like family, Miss Monique Clark.
“Such a beautiful spirit with an infectious smile. I have nothing but wonderful memories of this Angel. Tears can’t express the pain and shock. A mother of 3, a sister, a daughter, a cousin, a friend and a Queen… Rest in Paradise.”
Police officers responding to the scene shot the gunman, who was reportedly “despondent” over his love life, when he reportedly aimed his weapon at them.
(AllHipHop News) Rapper Lil Wayne is heading to Las Vegas for a run of shows.
The “Lollipop” hitmaker has booked a residency at Drai’s Beachclub and Nightclub in the The Cromwell Las Vegas Hotel & Casino later this month.
Additional concerts will take place in June, July, September, and October.
The gig at the luxury hotel and casino follows his concert at the venue in March.
“My first night at Drai’s was magical. I’m happy we created a partnership for me to come tear down the stage at the best club in Vegas!!” a statement from the rapper reads. “(Entertainer) Wayne Newton put his stamp on Sin City, now its time for the next Wayne to do the same!”
The 34-year-old follows in the footsteps of other rappers, including Future, Big Sean, Rae Sremmurd, and Fabolous, who have performed at the club.
(AllHipHop News) Raekwon is hitting the road this summer for “The Wild Tour 2017.”
The 40-city trek begins in June at New York City’s Governors Ball.
Raekwon will join his Wu-Tang Clan brethren at the Manhattan festival.
“The Wild Tour” is in support of The Chef’s critically acclaimed 2017 independent album The Wild.
“I look at today’s industry as being a jungle. There are different rules. Me being out in the wild for so long and looking at what it is today, it’s just different,” Raekwon told AllHipHop about his seventh solo LP. “All that I’m doing is expressing myself in the greatest way to let people know that I still get busy on the mic, I can still swing around this jungle and still be the king at what I do.”
Lil Wayne, CeeLo Green, Andra Day, and G-Eazy appear on Rae’s The Wild.
(AllHipHop Rumors) Wait a minute! Is Tip already dropping those coins on Bernice?
Naw man! Say it ain’t so! Well nothing says “New Life; who dis?” like a new car.
I guess that Instagram modeling and hosting really paid off for Bernice Burgos, or T.I. decided to gift his alleged side chick with a new black Range Rover.
Burgos took to Instagram to show off her new car, and of course fans wondered if it’s a gift from the “Trouble Man” himself.
It was definitely an all black everything moment as Bernice was dressed in all black attire to match her new whip.
Although Bernice is a baddie in the face and body, some feel like she’s a downgrade from Tiny because she seems so dang-on basic and airhead-ish, and because Tiny held Tip down, had a real career, and was his WIFE!
T.I. hasn’t said much about Bernice, but he has made it clear that he is tired of fan and hater input about his pending divorce.
Rumor has it that Bernice was the one that finally made Tip respond to/accept the divorce papers on April 24th as she was tired of the flack she was getting for being the side chick!
(AllHipHop Rumors) I sure hope Kimye make it through!
As you know, there are always rumors swirling about Kanye West and Kim Kardashian allegedly being on the brink of separation or divorce. A lot of the chatter usually blames the alleged marriage troubles on the strain of disagreements, Ye’ breakdowns, and Kim K’s Parisian robbery.
Last night when celebrities made debuts on the Met Gala red carpet, one thing that was obvious was a noticeably missing Kanye West, especially since Kim K was in the building.
Sources had just tipped E! News off informing them that Kanye would allegedly not be attending the event. Fans and attendees were still shocked to see that he actually wasn’t there.
“Kanye will not be attending the Met Gala and will be staying in L.A. with their kids. He and Kim are doing fine. He has been taking time off and is totally supportive of Kim attending,” an insider told E!.
Another source claims that Ye intended to go to the event but changed his mind.
“He was planning on attending and recently decided he did not want to go. He and Kim are fine. He will be in Los Angeles,” said the second source.
Sources close to the couple claim that all is well with the couple, and there is no trouble in paradise. The question is do we believe them? Heck we want most couples to win, so we hope they work it out!.
You know Yeezy is probably trying to stay in the house as much as he can also since he’s been rumored to be paranoid and wearing bullet proof vests though.
Since this is coming from E!. The sources are probably reliable.
