(AllHipHop News) Drake continues to earn distinction among his peers. With the recent release of “Summer Sixteen” the Toronto-MC lands in the company of The Notorious B.I.G, as reported by Billboard. The smash debuted at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Following the late ’50’s inception of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart only 13 songs have debuted at No. 1. In the history of the chart, in its first week, only two other artists — Rihanna and Biggie — have had more than one track snatch the top slot. Previously the Rihanna collab, “Work” reigned atop the chart.
During the Golden Era, first B.I.G.’s “One More Chance,” and later “Hypnotize” earned the No. 1 slot. Given Drake’s solid work-ethic, and his enduring popularity, by the end of this year Drake may be the sole record holder.
Determination is key to formulating a desired future. Realizing one’s aspirations can be a lofty pursuit. Recently, Kanye West, solicited Mark Zuckerberg for a billion dollar investment. The unconventional business request was made through Twitter.
Zuckerberg has not directly replied to Kanye’s inquiry. Through strategically utilizing a Facebook user’s status, Mark may have expressed his feelings on the proposed endeavor. A FB post was written that said, “Dear Kanye West: If you’re going to ask the CEO of Facebook for a billion dollars, maybe don’t do it on Twitter.”
The billion-dollar businessman simply liked the status.
In the future are these these two entrepreneurs likely to collaborate?
(AllHipHop News) There must be something in the water. Earlier today (Feb. 17), while using his Twitter account, Kanye West, has demonstrated both his inherent humility and his reinforced faith in his fellow MCs. Known for his unabashed, hubris-filled rants, the changed lyricist seems to have transformed his perspective.
Recently, the creative conduit declared himself to be “the greatest artist of all time.” He also deemed himself worthy to sit atop Rap’s throne. As time has passed Yeezy has amended that idealistic stance. He wrote, “that statement has’t been sitting well with me… That’s a dated mentality … I’m not on that …”
A series of reflective tweets followed that one. ‘Ye openly embraced the challenge of cultivating fresh ideas to complement his current mindset. “A wise man should be humble enough to admit when he’s wrong and change his mind based on new information…,” read a probing post.
“My number one enemy has been my ego… there is only one thrown and that’s God’s …,”insisted the introspective artist.
When it comes to Game’s social media posts he is a magician. Many of his interactions have a mysterious way of disappearing. Earlier today (Feb. 17), the Compton lyricist — who is currently on tour — logged onto his official Twitterand demonstrated his fleeting generosity.
The “Hashtag” MC offered to assist Kanye West’s pursuit of solidifying a global manifest destiny. With an inherent appreciation for the Arts the philanthropic rapper issued an enticing offer to Mr. West. An exhilarating stipulation was attached to Game’s proposal to invest into Kanye’s lofty ideas.
“@KanyeWest & tell him I’m not Mark Zuckerberg but I got $10, 000, 000 to invest in his ideas if he comes to Dubai & skydives with us tomorrow,” wrote Game. The West Coast wordsmith even offered to pay for the flight to Dubai. Here’s where a power struggle may have ensued.
Black Jesus then demanded that Yeezus respond within a timely manner. “I’ll pay for the flight. It’s 12 noon in #Dubai you got an hour to accept. Call/my phone or tweet,” read the declaration.
Thus far, Kanye has yet to publicly acknowledge Game’s suggestion.
What does an uncontrolled outburst and crazed screeching have in common? These are cited as reasons why Rihanna actually cancelled her performance at the 58th annual Grammy Awards, this according to TMZ.
The gossip site has elicited information from different people. These insiders are connected to the show, but they weren’t physically present to witness RiRi’s supposed meltdown. Reps for the ANTI artist insist that a medical issue — bronchitis — prevented her from fulfilling her commitment.
This is where things get interesting. During Grammy rehearsals, and two days prior at Lionel Richie’s charity event, it’s been reported that Ri’s voice was strong and crystal clear. Conflicting reports contend that it was during Grammy rehearsals that some unspecified drama went down.
Described as both “hysterical” and “screaming,” the Roc Nation Princess is said to have become so emotional that she abruptly left the venue. Overwhelmed by raging emotion Rihanna refused to even stay and watch the show.
So, with this new insider information does this bring any doubt to the bronchitis theory?
(AllHipHop News)Love & Hip Hop stars Papoose and Remy Ma are taken their union to the digital space. The married couple has now launched the new website MeetTheMackies.com.
“When it’s real… it’s ok to wear your heart on your sleeve,” says Remy in a statement. “#BlackLove comes in many different colors; it’s not about race, ethnicity, or nationality. It’s about being able to love and have real love through hardships and adversity. #BlackLove is unconditional, unbreakable, and unashamed – it’s forever.”
Pap and Rem are using the site to sell their new merchandise. MeetTheMackies.com offers “Black Love” apparel as well as items featuring the two New York based emcees. More business ventures from the “Broken Slanguage” collaborators are expected to be revealed in the near future.
“People that know me know loyalty and love is everything to me,” adds Papoose. “If you believe in showing genuine love to your significant other, you’re loved ones and family and friends – Remy and I consider our fans to be family, so we want to spread that love to them as well!”
(AllHipHop News) Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs and James “LL Cool J” Smith appeared on last night’s (February 16) episode of Finding Your Roots. The PBS series, hosted by Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates, explored the two Hip Hop icons’ respective family origins and history.
Finding Your Roots uses DNA technology to discover facts about the genetic makeup of its celebrity guests. Previous episodes featured Branford Marsalis, Samuel L. Jackson, John Legend, Michelle Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Angela Bassett, Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, and more.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. airs Tuesdays at 8/7 C on PBS. Puff Daddy and LL Cool J’s “Family Reunions” episode is set to re-air this weekend. Check your local listings at pbs.org.
(AllHipHop News) The MMG vs G-Unit feud adds another component. This round its Meek Mill taking issue with DJ Whoo Kid. The longtime G-Unit affiliate posted a video to his Instagram page of cartoon versions of Drake and Meek Mill wrestling. Meek saw the vid and added a comment on Whoo Kid’s IG post.
Waka Flocka Flame jumped into the situation by sticking up for his The Turn Up Godz Tour mixtape collaborator Whoo Kid in a series of videos. After saying he had no issues with Meek, the Atlanta rapper went on to suggest anyone that touches Whoo Kid will have a problem.
“This f*cking internet instigating in 2016 has gone too f*cking far,” said Waka. “I don’t give a f*ck what n*ggas rap about, what n*ggas talk about – when you playing with my money, when you talk about touching Whoo Kid, it’s going digital. I don’t give f*ck who you are.”
Waka added he is a fan of both Meek and Drake’s music, but he still found the wrestling clip funny. Kid has pulled the vid from his IG, and the warnings from Waka are no longer on his page either.
(AllHipHop News) After Kendrick Lamar dominated this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony, Noisey arrives right on time with a mini-documentary about the TDE emcee in the same week. TheBompton: Growing up with Kendrick Lamar video follows K. Dot, some of his friends, and former teachers as they discuss what it is like living in Compton, California.
“From Compton, I could have easily came and said, ‘I did this. I did that. I killed a whole bunch of n*ggas.’ Just giving off facts from where I’m from,” stated Kendrick. “But that ain’t me. I rather talk about my reality. I rather talk about something a little bit deeper than that. The reasons, problems, and solutions behind it.”
Kendrick used his latest album To Pimp A Butterfly to talk about serious topics like police brutality, crime, poverty, and self-love. The LP earned him 4 Grammys, including Best Rap Album.
Noisey Bompton is the first episode in an eight part series on VICE’s upcoming TV network VICELAND. Each episode will focus on a different city, its major stars, and its music scene. Noisey premieres March 1 at 10PM on VICELAND.
(AllHipHop News) VH1 is adding another “Hip Hop” show to its television lineup. Except this program will not be part of the reality franchise Love & Hip Hop. The TV movie The Breaks has been picked up as a regular series.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 1990’s set drama pulled in 2.6 million total viewers from its January premiere and encore airing. Those numbers helped VH1 earn a 42% gain that month among adults under 50.
The Breaks starred Mack Wilds, Wood Harris, Afton Williamson, David Call, Antoine Harris, and Method Man. Most of the cast is expected to return for the TV series. The number of episodes for the first season has not been determined yet.
AllHipHop.com spoke to Mack Wilds prior to the debut of The Breaks in January. The actor/singer spoke about the inspiration for his character DeeVee, a producer on the come up in New York City.
“I guess the people I used the most for inspiration would be DJ Premier or Pete Rock,” said Wilds. “I watched tapes of them and read up on them. I even got a little tutelage from both of them to make sure the character was portrayed authentically.”
DJ Premier actually served as executive music producer and composed the score for The Breaks. The movie/back-door pilot was written, directed and executive produced by Seith Mann. The story was based on Dan Charnas’ 2011 nonfiction book The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip Hop.
Wilds also discussed the rise of Hip Hop themed TV shows and movies over the last year. The former star of The Wire and 902010 was asked if he felt Hollywood has finally embraced projects about the culture as marketable.
“I absolutely think so. Honestly, I don’t think it was too much of a problem before,” stated Wilds. “I’m glad that with shows like Power or Empire it leaves room for all of our stories to be told, whether it’s something like The Breaks or anything else on the rise. It’s amazing.”
(AllHipHop News) Future just earned a spot in the history books. With his latest album Evol landing in the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart this week, the Atlanta rhymer became the fastest artist to earn three #1 albums in the last 50 Years.
Evol reached #1 four months after What A Time To Be Alive. TheFuture and Drake collaborative project opened at #1 in October. Future scored his very first #1 with DS2 in July. That is only a span of six months and 20 days between his initial #1 album and his third #1 album.
According to Billboard, Future is the fastest act to score three #1 albums since Herb Alpert in 1965 and 1966 with Whipped Cream and Other Delights (November 1965), Going Places (March 1966), and What Now My Love (May 1966). However, the cast of Glee scored three #1 soundtracks in one month and 19 days in 2010, but those titles were not traditional artist-driven albums. In addition, that makes Future the fastest rap artist to three #1 albums in history.
The 58th Grammy Awards, the biggest night in music delivered yet another eventful awards night. The big winners of the night were Kendrick Lamar, D’Angelo, Taylor Swift, Mark Ronson, Meghan Trainor, and Ed Sheeran.
Kendrick Lamar came to win, and he came to leave a lasting impression. Lamar took home Grammy awards for for Best Rap Performance (“Alright”), Best Rap Song (“Alright”), Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (“These Walls”), and Best Rap Album (To Pimp A Butterfly), K. Dot swept all four of the rap categories. Kendrick earned his 5th Grammy from being featured on Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood,” which won Best Music Video. There were a number of memorable aspects of Kendrick’s performance from the jail cell, handcuffs, riot, to the superimposed image of Compton displayed over an image of Africa.
“This for Hip Hop. This for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This for Illmatic. This for Nas. We will live forever, believe that,”
said Kendrick upon accepting his award for Best Rap Album. Common and John Legend won the award for Best Song Written For Visual Media for “Glory” off the Selma soundtrack. Beyonce made a surprise appearance to present the Record Of The Year award. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars ended up taking the award home for their hit “Uptown Funk”. Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ won Album Of The Year, and Ed Sheeran took home the award for Song Of The Year (“Thinking Out Loud”).
Gary Clark Jr. and Bonnie Raitt paid tribute to the great B.B. King, and the guitars and string section was in full effect. Raitt definitely brought her unique touch of soul to King’s hits. Two disappointments were the iconic Lauryn Hill’s noticeable absence from what would’ve been her collaborative performance with The Weeknd, and Rihanna calling in sick. A rep for Hill stated that Hill pulled out due to the last minute nature of their collaborative performance. The rep went on to say The Grammy’s announced a performance by Ms. Lauryn Hill prematurely and without approval. Hill was said to have been booked for several shows during the same time period, and there wasn’t enough time for preparation. Rihanna was forced to pull out of the telecast in the twelfth hour because of bronchitis. Rihanna was set to debut a live performance of “Kiss It Better” from her recently released album ‘Anti.’ The Late Late Show host, James Corden, actually revealed that he was supposed to play a 1980s-era talk show host who would introduce Rihanna and then pretend to interview her on a show that would have been called “As It Lays.”
Justin Bieber delivered a less than stellar performance. His performance with Diplo and Skrillex was highly anticipated, but according to most fans, the performance fell short. Stevie Wonder taunted the sighted as he announced the winner for Song Of The Year. He cracked everyone up with a Braille joke shining light on the fact that he believes that everything today should be accessible to disabled individuals. Andra Day and Ellie Goulding also delivered a nice mash-up performance. After rounding up a handful of trophies, The Weeknd performed a medley that included “Can’t Feel My Face” and “In the Night.” The Weeknd won Best R&B Performance (“Earned It”) and Best Urban Contemporary Album (Beauty Behind The Madness). D’Angelo won Best R&B Song (“Really Love”) and Best R&B Album (Black Messiah).
Although the late, great David Bowie’s torch is honestly too big for any single performer to carry, Lady Gaga did just that. Gaga performed a heartfelt 8 minute tribute with the legendary Nile Rodgers backing her on the guitar. Just when fans were shocked to hear a performance from Adele that didn’t match up to her skill and previous performances, the British singer took to her Twitter account to explain what happened during her performance of “All I Ask”. Adele explained that the piano mics fell onto the piano strings, and that’s what the guitar sound was. This is what caused her to sound out of tune. The Grammys also featured performances from Taylor Swift (show opener), Alabama Shakes, and an all-star tribute to Lionel Richie by John Legend, Tyrese, Demi Lovato, Meghan Trainor, and Luke Bryan. Also entertaining was Lin-Manuel Miranda’s acceptance speech. He accepted his award in a slight freestyle rap manner. Now we need an award for best acceptance speech!
Taylor Swift became the first woman to win Album Of The Year twice, and with this win, the singer wasted no time addressing Kanye West’s “famous” lyric. Swift said,
“There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame, but if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you are going you’ll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there and that will be the greatest feeling in the world.”
Recording Academy President Neil Portnow did take a moment to speak to press about what went wrong in the night, but more importantly he happily celebrated all that went right.
Its been a rough couple of months for French without the homie Chinx by his side. The two rappers were best friends, business partners and more, but when Chinx was tragically murdered last year things had to slow up a bit. Now French seems like he is on his way back and ready for the next move.
With his collab Wave Gods tape with Max B on the way, things are looking up for French and it seems like he’s turning the corner. RIP Chinx and peace be with you brother. Salute French Montana for this visual here!:
Bilal sings of a love thats almost gotten away in a last attempt to save the love. “I Don’t Care” is an in your feelings R&B track with a cool laid back feel. Smooth jazzy keys, organs and guitar round out this symphony that Bilal eloquently blesses just after Valentines Day.
Awww man Charlamagne Tha God gave Bow Wow the #DonkeyOfTheDay award for being a little off on his timing while hosting the pre-Grammy telecast into the start of The Grammy awards. Charlamagne said,
“Woooooo when you hear them say woooo repeatedly, that’s a cry for help on live TV. He had nothing to say and wanted out of that situation, and Shad Moss did what every black man does when they’re under pressure.”
Bow Wow wasted no time responding as he said,
“Thanks to the grammys and my CBS family for allowing me to host. We powered through (even though time was off) and kept the show moving forward THATS whats separates professionals from beginners. I got so much love and positive feed back i appreciated. We back at again next year! 2017 grammy’s .Thanks c tha god for being my biggest fan. Next time you can buff shine my 2k burberry dress shoes for bleach cream and a proactive coupon.”
Although Bow Wow’s timing was a little off, it’s still pretty dope that he was asked to host the first ever live CBS Grammy red carpet pre-show.”
Growing up in Compton, CA Kendrick Lamar was raised in the homeland of acts like Dr. Dre, Eazy E and others where it was impossible not to be inspired by their legacies or gangsta rap. In this Noisey piece called “Noisey Bompton” we get an introspective look at the high school and community where Kendrick Lamar and the friends grew up on the West Side of Compton.
Noisey Bompton is a new documentary made by the people who brought you Noisey Atlanta and Noisey Chiraq. It’s the first episode in an eight part series, NOISEY, on VICE’s upcoming TV network VICELAND. Each episode focuses on a different city, its major stars, and the stories and issues that influence its music scene.
Check it out below! In the piece you really see how tough it was for Kendrick fight the norms and remain true to his goals and dreams.
While the Hip Hop community could agree on being excited for Kendrick Lamar and his eleven Grammy nominations, most weren’t here for the show as a whole. Many weren’t even in attendance. Snoop Dogg posted a video saying,
“I got seats to the Grammys, but f*ck that. I sitting in my m-f*cking house watching this sh*t.”
He also posted another post with the caption,
“No need to blow smoke up my _ _ _ I’d rather blow some real smoke with my loved ones and count the 17xs I been invited with the same results. Shout out to my family that getting it in winning hosting and just showing up for the cause enjoy the festivities my green room open all night not like there’s.”
Ice Cube wasn’t here for the award show either. After presenting Kendrick Lamar with the award for for Best Rap Album, Ice Cube quickly bounced. Cube said,
“If any of y’all thought I was going to stay through that whole three hour bullsh*t, you out your batty a** mind. I’m back in the car, b*tch.”
Although the Grammy awards is the biggest night in music, many in the Hip Hop & R&B genres feel that the show is incredibly boring, and it lacks true representation for either genre. How did you feel about the show? Were you entertained?
With the recent news of the upcoming documentary, Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders, much suspicion has been hurled towards Diddy. Retired Los Angeles detective, Greg Kading, alleges that the successful entertainment mogul is responsible for putting a hit out on Tupac Shakur.
According to Kading, ‘Pac’s murder directly lead to the subsequent murder of The Notorious B.I.G. Having the courage to tackle such a project, the film’s director, Mike Dorsey, relied heavily upon his amassed legal team, countless hours of editing, and fact-checking to prevent any future lawsuits, this confirmed by SOHH.
Moving the project from a lofty idea to a tangible reality was a time-intensive endeavor. “For one, just on my own, I had to go through a lot of these documents to censor out certain names and personal information because some of these people were confidential informants,” revealed Dorsey. He proactively worked to ensure that no sensitive information was leaked to the public.
Through his diligent actions, Mike worked to try and guarantee that the associated individuals were properly protected. He also employed legal maneuvers to help safeguard against future lawsuits. “Then on the legal side, I had a huge law firm in Beverly Hills that specializes in documentaries and in clearing them and we spent months and months, even after the film was edited, going through it,” he then stated.
After researching about “400 instances” this provocative documentary was legally cleared for release. “I know that [former LAPD detective] Greg Kading, the detective that wrote the book [on these murders], also had to go through the same stuff when he wrote his book just to make sure he wasn’t setting himself up for a potential lawsuit,” Dorsey declared.
“But even then, there’s always going to be a concern because anyone can sue for any reason,” Mike mentioned in a matter-of-fact manner.
To purchase Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders click here.
Apparently some of these known rappers are still starving artists. It’s hard out here! According to Lex Luger, Azealia Banks offered him $40 for a beat because she’s broke. To make matters worse, Lex tweeted.
“S/o @AzealiaBanks aka Azealia Broke. Tried to cop a beat from me for $40. Does anyone even listen to her?”
Azealia posted the text convo in full. Do you think she is broke or was she just not feeling Lex’s $40K request?
Well it looks like YFN Lucci is taunting Young Thug. He posted alleged text messages from Thug’s fiance Jerrika Karlae to suggest that Jerrika has been cheating with him. He also went as far to post a video of Young Thug’s daughter wishing her a happy birthday to further upset Thugger. Jerrika’s ex-friend even jumped in saying that she “sucked off” a number of men. Young Thug isn’t trying to entertain the beef; he even shouted out YFN on Twitter. Thug has also released a new visual for his song “Worth It” showing him boo’d up with Jerrika. We could definitely see any woman willing to be in a relationship with Young Thug cheating. Many believe that Jerrika gets paid to be Young Thug’s beard. Hmmmmm. This could get ugly between YFK and Thug.
