(AllHipHop News) This week (April 20) members of Tyga’s Last King’s movement hosted a small private BBQ to honor their late friend and bodyguard Punch.
According to Tyga’s DJ, DJ $B, the late Arlester ‘Punch’ Henderson was laid to rest on April 20th in a private ceremony with friends and family
“I got some bad news in late March and we had just got to Dubai,” a saddened DJ $B told AllHipHop. “Unfortunately he was unable to travel because he was on probation, but every time we moved out and around LA he was always there.”
After the funeral DJ $B and other members of the Last King’s crew gathered together for a 4/20 BBQ to honor their friend and in some cases family member.
In addition to food and drinks the guys had plenty of Cali smoke to go around.
“I had just done a album release party for my project ‘Proud’ and he was there telling everyone to come through and he was promoting the event like it was his own,” $B recalled of Punch’s giving nature.
“Yesterday was the funeral so we just all decided to link up and celebrate his life. He would have been happy that we were all there celebrating his life and eating, having a good time. He was all about having a good time. I know now he’s in a place where he can’t be harmed and he’s watching over us.”
After an accident on Los Angeles’ I-10 freeway, Henderson reportedly got out of the car to check on the other drivers and was struck by a passing vehicle.
“It’s just crazy to have talked with him on Saturday and Sunday and then by Tuesday while we are in Dubai, he passed away. It really shows that you have to live life to fullest, even though it sounds cliché. You just never know when you are going to get that call to come home,” $B said.
“Punch” was only 29 years old and died assisting others according to reports.
In addition to the BBQ, fans were treated to special discount pricing on select items throughout the store including clothing and other merchandise.
Look out soon for more information on DJ $B’s upcoming work and a look inside the Last Kings clothing store for their Spring and Summer collections.
(AllHipHop News) Who didn’t see this coming? Birdman’s under 2 minute interview with The Breakfast Club has become a trending topic on the internet today. The brief sit down inspired photoshoppers to take aim at the “What Happened To That Boy” performer for his unexpected reaction and instant classic quotes (“Put some respect on my name.”/”Y’all finished or y’all done?”).
Of course, the Cash Money Records CEO got hit with the popular “Crying Jordan,” “Swaggy P???,” and “Fresh Prince – Why Don’t He Love Me?” pics. The Internet had more jokes for Baby as well.
(AllHipHop News) The condolences from celebrities for the legendary entertainer Prince have been rolling in ever since the announcement of his passing on Thursday. Frank Ocean was one of the musicians to offer his thoughts about the late Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee. The channel ORANGE album creator eulogized Prince in a Tumblr post.
While admitting he never met Prince, Ocean stated the “Purple Rain” singer influenced him musically and in other ways. In particular, Ocean praised Prince for playing a part in giving him the courage to embrace his sexuality. He also acknowledged the pop culture icon for taking a stand against the corporate music structure for the betterment of artists’ rights.
Ocean wrote in part:
He was a straight Black man who played his first televised set in bikini bottoms and knee high heeled boots, epic. He made me feel more comfortable with how I identify sexually simply by his display of freedom from and irreverence for obviously archaic ideas like gender conformity etc. He moved me to be more daring and intuitive with my own work by his demonstration – his denial of the prevailing model… His fight for his intellectual property – ‘slave’ written across the forehead, name changed to a symbol… an all out rebellion against exploitation. A vanguard and genius by every metric I know of who affected many in a way that will outrun oblivion for a long while. I’m proud to be a Prince fan(stan) for life.
(AllHipHop Features) The stars of Fox’s#### series Empire have once again lent their voices to an upcoming album centered around the smash hit. Empire: Original Soundtrack, Season 2 Volume 2 – set to arrive in stores on April 29 – includes appearances by Serayah (Tiana Brown), Bre-Z (Freda Gatz), Jussie Smollett (Jamal Lyon), and Bryshere “Yazz” Gray (Hakeem Lyon).
While he appears on several songs with his castmates, Yazz also has the solo single “Got That Work.” The 22-year-old Philadelphia native lets it be known he is more than ready to sit at the top of the Empire pyramid. Yazz uses the record to rap about his prowess over an uptempo track produced by the legendary Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley and Mark Murrille.
AllHipHop.com has the official premiere of Yazz’s “Got That Work.” In an exclusive interview, the rapper-actor also shares his thoughts about the song, working on Empire, and more.
“Got That Work” definitely connects to Hakeem’s storyline on Empire. What does the song represent for you?
It’s just about talking about what’s going on in Hakeem’s life. I put that into the lyrics and made sure that it was authentic to what was going on with Empire.
What was the creative process like for making this single?
It was great. It’s grueling hours filming Empire. When you’re on the biggest television show in the world, you have a lot of lines to do. It’s 12 hours [on set], then I’m straight to the studio. Timbaland and Murrille had been working all day by the time I get to the studio. Then we get it in.
You have a few songs on the soundtrack with Jussie. At this point, what is that chemistry like now when you record together?
It’s always fun. That’s like my brother. When we record it’s always fun and energetic. And we order a lot of food. [laughs]
Speaking of the brotherly camaraderie between you guys, it seems like the whole cast has a lot of fun off-screen as well. There seems to be ongoing pranks.
We always play pranks on each other. Like when Malik Yoba was on set, he would change the ChapStick in the bags. One time I had his ChapStick. I was like, “Yo, what are you doing? I was about to put that on my lips.” We spend so much time on set together. It’s a lot of waiting, so we try to make the best of our time and have fun.
How has your life changed from a year ago when you first started on the show?
I went from sitting on my mama’s stoop to living in L.A. Everything changed for the better. I was working at Pizza Hut with $20 in my pocket. There was nobody I could get in the studio with, because I didn’t have the money to pay for the producers. All that’s changed now.
Hakeem has been going through a lot in the last couple of episodes. At the same time, it feels like he’s matured a lot since the first season.
It’s a growing process, and I feel like I’m growing with the character. This is my first acting role, so I’m also growing up while he’s growing up on Empire. It’s great because it’s making me learn a lot. It’s really making me a better actor.
Can we expect any solo projects from you in the near future?
Yes, but as a true businessman, you don’t lay all of your goodies out in one pot. I’m just taking my time and enjoying my blessings. I’m putting together quality work, not quantity. I want to put together quality.
Pre-order Empire: Original Soundtrack, Season 2 Volume 2 on iTunes and Google Play.
Check out the album’s cover art and tracklist below.
1) Freedom (feat. Jussie Smollett)
2). Crown (feat. Jamila Velazquez, Raquel Castro, Yani Marin)
3) Look But Don’t Touch (feat. Serayah)
4) Good People (feat. Jussie Smollett, Yazz)
5) Like My Daddy (feat. Jussie Smollett)
6) Shine On Me (feat. Jussie Smollett, Bre-Z)
7) All Nite (feat. Yazz, Serayah, Jamila Velazquez)
8) Body Speak (feat. Serayah)
9) Last Night (feat. Jussie Smollett, Bre-Z)
10) Get It Started (feat. Jussie Smollett, Kelli Wakili)
11) Got That Work (feat. Yazz)
12) Good Enough (Negrito Remix feat. Jussie Smollett)
13) Chasing The Sky (feat. Terrence Howard, Jussie Smollett, Yazz)
14) No Competition (feat. Yazz, Serayah, Jussie Smollett)
15) Hemingway (feat. Jussie Smollett)
16) My Own Thang (feat. Jussie Smollett, Bre-Z)
17) Turn Around (feat. Bre-Z)
18) Fabulous (feat. DMK)
19) Never Let It Die (feat. Jussie Smollett, Yazz)
20) All Nite (Yo Gotti Remix) (feat. Yazz, Yo Gotti, Serayah and Jamila Velazquez)
(AllHipHop News) Which famous Pablo was Kanye West referencing in the title of his seventh studio album? Ye took time to explain the meaning behind The Life Of Pablo during a visit to Khloe Kardashian’s Kocktails With Khloe talk show.
“Which Pablo? Pablo Picasso, Pablo Escobar of course, Apostle Paul. [Paul] was the strongest influencer of Christianity, Pablo Escobar was the biggest mover of product, and Pablo Picasso was the biggest mover of art. And that mix between message, art, and product is The Life Of Pablo,” stated Kanye.
TLOP has become one of the most talked about projects of 2016 so far. The album’s unorthodox roll-out has been both praised and criticized.
Initially, Kanye insisted The Life Of Pablo would never be for sale and only available for streaming on Tidal. After a month, the LP became available on other platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify.
(AllHipHop News)The Breakfast Club just experienced their shortest celebrity interview ever. The Power 105 morning crew was scheduled to speak with Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan “Birdman” Williams, but the New Orleans native quickly walked out of the studio after having some choice words for Charlamagne Tha God.
(AllHipHop News) It looks like Music Television is about to start focusing on music again. MTV announced new programming for its fall line-up, and a trio of shows will have a music component.
The network is set to air a Hip Hop competition show. MTV.com describes the series:
Television producer Mark Burnett, the mastermind behind juggernaut reality-contest shows The Voice, Survivor, and Celebrity Apprentice, will executive produce a new hip-hop music competition series. The end game? Getting tomorrow’s top talent in front of the industry’s top dogs — and then getting them signed and into the recording studio.
The cable channel is also bringing back a classic. MTV Unplugged is set to return. The acoustic performance show will take elements of the original which debuted in 1989, but it has also been modernized to reflect the media landscape of the 2010’s.
Wonderland is another program about to hit TV later this year. Both musicians and comedians will perform from a site in Los Angeles. Comedy Central is working in conjunction with MTV for the series.
(AllHipHop News) Over the last four decades, countless Hip Hop artists have tapped into the talent of the incomparable musical icon Prince Rogers Nelson for their own work. The funky, soulful, and vibrant compositions created by Prince served as ideal soundscapes for rappers to spit their lyrics over.
It seems as if everyone from Ultramagnetic MCs (“Poppa Large”) to Nicki Minaj (“Blow Ya Mind”) borrowed musical elements from The Purple One. In celebration of the legendary life of the late Grammy and Oscar winner, AllHipHop.com takes a look back at 10 well known rap songs that sampled Prince’s unforgettable work.
As season 2 of the Fox series “Empire” is set for 18 episodes, the stopwatch is starting to tic down in regards to this season’s unique brand of high class, high style, All Hip Hop infused crazy. However, given the tendency of “Empire” to always go out with at least one, if not two balls to the wall cliffhangers, hints at some serious game changing ruin were set into motion Wednesday with the airing of episode 14, aptly titled “Time Shall Unfold.” Here is our quick and dirty rundown of the best of the most potentially damaging future wtf! moments in that episode. spoiler alert
Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) and Andre (Trai Byers) ‘crack the code’ with Anika Calhoun’s (Grace Gealey) pregnancy and conveniently become Anika’s human shields by breaking the news to the whole Lyon family. When Andre comes to Anika’s home in the morning hours to try to win back Rhonda, Anika ends up retching in the bathroom and admits to them both that she is suffering from morning sickness and that Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) is the father. In a classic pimp move, Anika manipulates Andre and Rhonda to set up a Lyon family meeting where Anika tells everyone about her pregnancy and announces that the only thing that she wants, as the mother of the next Lyon, is an uncontested place back within the Lyon clan.
Lucious (Terrence Howard) deftly unseats Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) as the CEO of Empire, clearing a path towards regaining the throne for himself. In a series of underhanded moves that include using muscle to sabotage Empire’s Anthony and Cleopatra clothing line, turning Andre against Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) and his brothers, planting drugs on trucks carrying Empire concert equipment, and humiliating Hakeem in front of a meeting for Empire’s investors, Lucious manages to get Hakeem voted out by the board members as Empire’s CEO.
Lucious’ mother appears to be alive and well of body, if not the mind. As part and parcel of Lucious convincing Andre to give him the insider information needed to embarrass and unseat Hakeem as CEO, Lucious promises Andre at his own mother’s grave site that he will be more forthcoming to Andre about her life, as well as and her struggles with mental illness. However, when Lucious’ bag man Thirsty Rawlings (Andre Royo) is then seen to be making regular visits to an old folks home to attend to an older woman(Leslie Uggams) who is very much alive but still singing all those sad songs that young Leah Walker (Kelly Rowland) sang to young Dwight Walker all those years ago… well, let’s just say Lucious is going to have a lot of explaining to do when the dark truth of yet another huge lie about his childhood gets pulled kicking and screaming into the light.
(AllHipHop News) As news continues to emerge on the untimely passing of iconic singer Prince, details are emerging from TMZ that speculate his cause of death was related to opiate usage.
According to the entertainment news site he was found in an elevator where there were unsuccessful attempts to provide Prince with CPR.
While the flu was immediately speculated as the cause of death, TMZ obtained photos of Prince leaving a Walgreens pharmacy near his Minnesota home Wednesday around 7pm leading many to speculate that he knew his death was on the horizon.
Several other gossip sites have speculated that he was facing an undisclosed terminal disease.
It is said that Prince had begun work on a memoir that was approximately 50 pages long.
Sources close to Prince also confirmed that he had recently canceled several shows in Atlanta due to sickness.
Google has since changed their logo to Prince’s signature color of purple and the NBA on TNT has decked out their set in purple to honor Prince, playing his music at commercial breaks.
President Barak Obama even took time to honor the Hall of Fame singer and icon (see below).
AR-AB Is Pushing Away The Beef And Is Focused On Making Strides Though Music And Community Organizations For The Youth
(AllHipHop News) The Hip-Hop world and streets often meet at a crossroads that makes it difficult to decipher what’s real street drama and what’s just Hip-Hop-WWF rumors and talk.
On the contrary, when it comes to controversial Philly rapper AR-AB everyone knows the deal.
AR-AB is embedded in the streets and after earning a rowdy reputation and prison time for various offenses, he’s proven to be prime example of living that fine line between the streets and gangsta rap music.
In spite of that fact and AR-AB’s gorilla-sized reputation on the underground Philly rap scene, AB gained mainstream notoriety for mention on Drake’s song “Back to Back.”
But despite that popular mention, AB says that he “doesn’t have a relationship with Drake.”
“There are guys that are from the streets, but I am the streets” – AR-AB
The new info on Drake comes on the heels of AB stating that he wants no part in his beef with Meek Mill.
AB also had a recent convo with fellow Philly rapper Cassidy where AB and the “I’m a Hustla” rapper hashed out any “negative feelings.”
“I’m at a stage of my life when I don’t want no negative energy, where if I got any issues or anyone has any negative feelings, I want to get to the bottom of it and talk to them. I talked to Cassidy and we got to the bottom of a lot of our issues,” AR-AB said.
Instead AB is choosing to focus on shows and his upcoming projects with bigger and bigger acts, not ruling out the possibility of working with Drake someday.
“I’ve been doing a whole bunch of shows, I’m booked every weekend right now. I’ve been kind of busy doing that and I’m working on Who Harder than Me 4. I’m gearing up for this song with Kevin Gates, we are working out a video date and everything right now,” AR-AB explained.
The peaceful, work-driven message is a far cry from the previously released Meek Mill disses, but don’t think that AR-AB has turned his back on the streets at all.
AR-AB has big plans for an upcoming release with Kevin Gates and found a connection with Gates as the two have both taken steps to helping out youth juvenile detention centers.
“When I came home from prison, I was talking to my manager and my manager had a plug with him, basically he was what I was listening to. They got us on the phone together and he was going around speaking to the local youth, like at detention centers and thats what I’m doing so we stayed on the phone DMing and texting each other. I didn’t even know he was going to be down at SXSW and we ended up doing this track,” AB explained of his Kevin Gates song.
When asked about his connection to the streets and why he has become so popular amongst Philly rap fans, AR-AB said that people still think that he may “still rob them.”
“A lot of guys talk about it, a lot of guys seen stuff, but they ain’t never involved with it. I actually – and its on my record – I’m a guy you could write a movie on. There are guys that are from the streets, but I am the streets,” AB proclaimed.
“I give you that in my music and on my upcoming tape. This is what I was doing man. I’m one of the biggest rappers in Philly and I still walk in the club and you would think I walk in the club and nggas might think they might rob me. I walk in the club and nggas think I might still rob them, even though I’m the big rapper. That’s how it is now man because before rap – I was an animal” a contrite AR-AB added.
Look out for AR-AB’s song with Kevin Gates in the coming week as AllHipHop will be exclusively releasing the new track at the top of next month.
(AllHipHop News) As the world mourns Prince and remembers one of most influential entertainers of all time, excerpts from the book, Prince: Chaos, Disorder, and Revolution by Jason Draper are emerging as evidence of Prince’s on and off relationship with Hip-Hop.
While Prince did try his hand at rapping on several occasions, in the book Draper writes that Prince felt Hip-Hop was “distinctly unmusical.”
“As far as Prince was concerned, hip-hop was distinctly unmusical. His feelings are summed up by ‘Dead On It,’ on which he laments switching on the radio to hear a “silly rapper talking silly sh*t.” The largely instrumental ‘2 Nigs United 4 West Compton,” meanwhile was intended as a musical swipe at the likes of NWA, whose Straight Outta Compton was just around the corner, and whose glorification of gang violence and misogyny Prince detested.”
In addition to the gangsta rap songs and dissing NWA, Prince added a rapper named Tony M to his backing group and featured Tony M prominently on his self-released project Goldnigga.
This project marked Prince as one of the first artists to bundle and sell his music as MP3s through NPG Music Club, which is partially why Prince cannot be found on Spotify or Apple Music.
Despite several collaborations with Tony M, the songs “Sexy MF” and “My Name Is Prince” were not widely successful in comparison to his other recorded successes.
He would later go on to tell Spike Lee, “he did” gangsta rap recalling his “half-sung vocals on tracks such as the 1982 B-side ‘Irresistible B####,” which can be heard below.
Slick Rick has finally become a U.S. citizen! With this, also comes the possibility of new music. Slick Rick also finally had a chance to perfrom with Montell Jordan as Jordan’s classic “This Is How We Do It” samples Slick’s classic “Children’s Story.” Rick has recently reflected on his past collaborations and shows with artists such as Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Chamillionaire, Asher Roth, Mos Def, Raekwon, etc and now he may be ready to craft a follow up to his last album, ‘The Art of Storytelling.’ Billboard caught up with Slick, and he explained that he still wants to break into some new stuff here and there.
“So when the opportunity arises, gotta dust off my shoulders, and may be able to think of a song idea here and there. It couldn’t hurt. We can just throw it out on the Internet or with a new artist. Just for fun,” said Slick Rick.”
As far as new artists, his co-signs include Drake, Missy Elliott and Kanye West.
“Missy Elliot is carrying the torch right now. Sometimes Drake strikes oil. Sometimes, other cats got it too [like] Kanye. But right now, I’d say Drake and Missy Elliot got the torch burning right now for the hood,” he says.
Although Slick is known for his storytelling, his new music may actually be noted for it’s speed, tempo, soul, melody, and swag. Are you ready for new music from Slick Rick?
Over the years Hopsin hasn’t gone easy on Atlanta rappers or trap music. He said,
“You could go bar from bar, play an acapella, look at the lyrics and realize that they’ve changed no one’s life, they aren’t doing anything and it’s just the beats.
Hopsin sat down with DJ Vlad to debate lyricists in Hip Hop over the years. Vlad said he feels that 2 Chainz is lyrical and Hopin sarcastically agrees. He says,
“A lyricist is someone who when they say something you say wow. They are able to put words together and you say, Wow, I wouldn’t have been able to do it like that.”
Vlad also says you don’t have to be conscious to be a lyricist. Hopsin says he still feels that artists aren’t lyrical anymore, but today he wouldn’t target just Atlanta artists. Hopsin says trap music is all beats over content. Does he have a point? Is 2 Chainz a lyricist? Let us know your thoughts.
Uh oh. Apparently Lil’ Uzi Vert finally caught up to his hacker that has been leaking a lot of his music. Lil’ Uzi Vert posted a video checking the hacker with a caption that read,
“Everybody this is a A lil nerd hacker I found him cause he sold a leak song to somebody IN MY CITY. He said I hacked your Instagram cause you aint never [respond to] me when I tried to contact you. some ole super fan sh*t. I mean thank you but no thanks. Went through his phone had my sh*t and a lot of other RAPPERS info. Dis sh*t was crazy. Oh yea he ratted on the rest of yall. I’m coming for ya. Oh yea and he be letting these lame ass nobody’s have all yall’s verses. On yall too. I know everybody he did business with. Haters be all around. I finna be all around too. Don’t send music through GMAIL get a drive.”
Dang Uzi checked him like a child. That is some savage and foul shhhhh to do to a person though. The hackers… the scammers… just don’t care! How would you have handled it?
Well it seems like we may have yet another Future clone in No Limit artist MoeRoy. Interestingly enough, MoeRoy is like a weird cross between a fake Future and Michael Jackson. Keep in mind Moe is supposed to be the future of No Limit Records. What are your thoughts?
(AllHipHop News) Less than a week after being hospitalized for flu symptoms, legendary singer Prince passed away at the age of 57.
As more news comes in about the passing of one of music’s most iconic figures, the Hip-Hop world has reacted in sadness, disbelief and shock.
The news of Prince’s passing comes just a few months after the passing of his protegé Denise “Vanity” Matthew who fronted Vanity 6 and who also passed away at the age of 57.
While some rappers like Big Boi retweeted stories on his passing others like Erykah Badu reacted in disbelief
(AllHipHop News) Early reports are confirming that legendary singer Prince has died at estate in Minnesota.
The news from TMZ comes on the heels of Prince being hospitalized after his plane made an emergency landing less than a week ago so that he could seek medical attention.
Prince was then transported by ambulance to the hospital.
After the brief hospital visit, the Purple Rain singer was released after three hours.
Prince is said to have been battling the flu for weeks.
A$AP Ferg is growing as an artist and that bodes well for the release of his new album, Always Strive and Prosper. Check out the latest visuals for “Flem.”
(AllHipHop Features) Earlier this month Atlanta rapper Issa dropped his latest project Blue Moon. The 7-track EP was produced entirely by fellow ATL representative Cassius Jay. The album’s title is reflective of the two creators’ experience recording together.
“We called the project Blue Moon because we’re on a new wave, and the moon controls the fact,” says Issa. “Before we got started every session, Cassius always turned the lights dim in the studio and said, ‘Let’s go to the moon brah.’ That set the vibe for the whole project and put us in the space that we were in to make this music.”
Blue Moon is the first body of work from Issa since 2015’s This Summer. The singles “Nu Nu” and “Next One” are examples of the NNTME MuCo recording artist showing he is ready to present a new direction for his brand.
“Since my last full project This Summer, I’ve grown a lot, both mentally and spiritually. However I feel inside is what comes out in my music,” Issa states. “I would say my sound has matured, and this chemistry that me and Cassius have is special.”
Even with Blue Moon now available online, Issa is not done crafting tunes. His combined 230,000 Twitter and Instagram followers can expect even more songs and videos from the Washington, DC transplant over the next eight months. The intention is to ultimately crossover to a mainstream audience as well.
“For the rest of 2016, I plan on continuing to lay my foundation down. I want to really lock in and energize my core fan base,” explains Issa. “I plan on taking my career to new heights this year, growing my music from my core fans to the masses. Look for a lot more music and a lot or visuals. I’m locked and loaded.”
