August Alsina joins the list of artists claiming their record labels are holding their careers back. B.O.B, Waka Flocka, Chris Brown, and others have recently made similar accusations and complaints. August Alsina tweeted,
“F*ckkkkk you Def Jam… can’t win for f*ckin losing dawg. I didn’t do this. My sh*tty a** label did it. They’re just f*cking sh*tty.”
August is upset with Def Jam for leaking his sophomore album, This Thing Called Life, a day early on August’s Vevo channel. August wasn’t with it at all. Def Jam was blasted recently by 50 Cent for having Jeremih’s album priced “too high.” Def Jam is having an interesting week!
There is no stopping Safaree “Stuntman” Samuels when it comes to making moves within his own career! The independent rapper and ex-boyfriend of Nicki Minaj just released a new mixtape titled It Is What It Is Volume 2. AllHipHop recently had a chance to catch up with the Stuntman, and in true New York fashion, he was honest about all of his endeavors, his past relationship, and more.
Despite all of the drama that came along with the split between him and Nicki Minaj, Safaree had no problem disclosing his true feelings on the most-talked-about track “Love The Most.” Lyrics such as “ Guess I wasn’t cool enough, cause in our pictures we hidin’ it/ Every time it went south/ I be sleepin’ on the couch/Hotel room for one/ thinkin’ what is this about” leaves fans wanting to know where the two stand now.
(AllHipHop News) Nicki Minaj had a stellar 2015. The Hip Hop/Pop megastar appeared on several Top 40 hits, crisscrossed the country on The Pinkprint Tour, and earned several Grammy nominations. Nicki is closing out the year by appearing on the latest cover of Billboard magazine.
The New York bred performer spoke in-depth about a range of topics. She discussed Barack Obama becoming the first sitting U.S. president to meet with prison inmates and business mogul Donald Trump seeking the Republican presidential nomination for 2016.
Nicki recently ignited widespread rumors her boyfriend Meek Mill proposed after she posted two separate pictures of a diamond ring on Instagram. So are the “All Eyes On You” collaborators engaged? And what exactly does Nicki think about The Donald?
On U.S. drug policies targeting people of color:
What it has become is not a war on drugs. It has become slavery. Or something crazier. When I see how many people are in jail, I feel like, “Wait a minute. Our government is aware of these statistics and thinks it’s OK?” The sentences are inhumane. I love the president for trying to be a voice for people who no other person has ever tried to be a voice for.
On Donald Trump running for president:
[Laughs] There are points he has made that may not have been so horrible if his approach wasn’t so childish. But in terms of entertainment – I think he’s hilarious. I wish they could just film him running for president. That’s the ultimate reality show. [The interview was conducted prior to Trump’s Dec. 7 comments about halting immigration by Muslims into the United States.]
On dating Meek Mill and rumored engagement:
He and I are not engaged. But he said he would like to give me three rings before we get married. My birthday’s coming up, and he better get the new one, because he got [the first one] for my last birthday. So let’s see what happens…
I don’t know what’s going to happen with he and I. I just know right now we are really, really enjoying each other’s company.
Jelani Maraj, the older brother of Nicki Minaj, appeared in a New York court December 9 for a hearing on the alleged rape of a pre-teen.
Maraj entered the Nassau County courthouse for a preliminary hearing, with the judge and lawyers as well. According to records, they were there to establish a trial schedule.
The 37-year-old received support from his mother Carol Maraj in court, according to the New York Daily News. Lawyer Andrea Zellan will represent Maraj.
Police alleged Maraj raped a 12-year old over the course of 3 months in Long Island, New York. The felony rape charges carry a penalty of 9 to 25 years.
(AllHipHop News) Many observers feel as if the Odd Future camp is an extension of Eminem’s musical tree. But after the crew’s leader Tyler, The Creator blasted Em’s Shady XV compilation album in 2014, another OF comrade has expressed he is not feeling the Detroit legend’s most recent work either.
“Hell nah! Sorry! [laughs],” replied Earl. “If you still follow Eminem, you drink way too much Mountain Dew and probably need to like, come home from the army.”
While he did not hold back his thoughts about Slim Shady, Sweatshirt was also critical of his own work. He admitted he is not a fan of his 2013 LP Doris. In contrast, the 21-year-old Los Angeles native offered praise for some of his rap contemporaries.
“We finally went into these chambers of our own selves that we hadn’t gone into before. Like Vince [Staples] went back to the time that changed him, which was summertime 2006 and I just kind of examined where I was at his time,” said Earl. “Same with Future and same with Kendrick. N*ggas are evaluating where they’re at right now. Even Drake! ‘Please do not talk to me like I’m that Drake from four years ago/I’m in a higher place.’ He’s talking to you about him right now. So any of the sh*t that’s sticking is because it’s current and honest.”
While there are many artists in 2015 who have flourished in their own way, Jordan Bratton has been on his grind since 2013. Ever since the singer showed up on people’s radar with his two singles “Midnight Rage” and “The Grey,” Bratton’s been working with big names like artists like Fabolous and Chance the Rapper. Earlier this year, He released his the Youth EP, a project that solidified himself as one the most prospective young singers coming out now. Recently, we had a chance to talk to Jordan Bratton after a show about his origins, his skills in production, working with artists like Fabolous, and what the singer is dropping soon. Check out the video below
(AllHipHop News) Pusha T is in the midst of a major media run in preparation of releasing his upcoming project Darkest Before Dawn. Mikey T The Movie Star and Clark Martin of ReportCardRadio caught up with King Push to get some information about the album and more.
Besides letting his fans know to look out for a record called “Crutches Crosses Caskets” off DBD, the new president of G.O.O.D. Music also spoke on the year-long financial drama playing out between his longtime rival Lil Wayne and Cash Money Records’ Bryan “Birdman/Baby” Williams.
Rick Ross recently sparked up that conversation again when the MMG boss publicly stated he did not respect Birdman for the way he has handled the contract dispute with Wayne. Pusha seems to agree with Rozay.
“If you steal something that’s just corny, and if you’re stealing it contractually that’s like the lowest form of a thief,” said Pusha. “It’s not even respectable in no way, shape, or form. You’re not even thugging.”
He added, “I haven’t respected Baby for a long time no way, so it don’t matter.”
Nebuchadnezzar II is considered one of the greatest rulers in human history. The Babylonian king was a brilliant military commander and honored builder of one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.” In addition, he is prominently featured in the Bible, and his name was used as the handle for Morpheus’ ship in The Matrix.
From historical text to science fiction classics, “Nebuchadnezzar” has represented royalty, power, and progress. Those characteristics can also be attributed to the monarch’s modern-day namesake who is currently at the start of building his own artistic empire.
Corey Reid was born two millennia after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar, but the Atlanta-based rhymer adopted the emperor as his professional moniker essentially moments after exiting the womb. Reid’s mother had several name choices for her newborn, but it was an aunt’s sarcastic suggestion to go with the biblical Nebuchadnezzar that would lead to Corey eventually becoming Nebu Kiniza.
“Hypothetically speaking, I was born with the name Nebu Kiniza,” the performer tells AllHipHop.com. “Nebu stands for the golden one. Kiniza stands for being originally creative and artistic. So I put two-and-two together.”
Kiniza’s rise began in Queens, New York. At the age of 10, his family moved down south to the Atlanta suburb of Conyers. By 17, the high school junior’s after-school days were regularly spent enjoying marijuana, playing Call Of Duty, and spitting bars with his friends.
“I was just kicking it with the homies, smoking weed. We just started freestyling over beats. Next thing you know everybody was saying, ‘You should be a rapper,’” recalls Nebu. “A week later I started recording. My first song ever went viral. I then said, ‘Yeah, I’m a rapper now.’”
That initial recording was a track called “IDGAF” released in 2011. A year later, Kiniza shot a video for the song “Steez” in the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta. The clip would go on to collect over 200,000 views on YouTube.
While he is originally from NYC, Nebu has fully embraced the ATL. The city that birthed icons like Brenda Lee, Gladys Knight, and OutKast has afforded the 21-year-old Hip Hop star-on-the-rise an inspirational experience that seeps through his art.
“I love everything about Atlanta. I love everything about the South period. I feel like the South has that flavor, that soul that music needs,” says Kiniza. “The whole culture put a little bit of flavor in me. If I had stayed in New York, I know I’d be doing music, but I don’t feel like it would be the same.”
He continues, “Atlanta is a place where you can make any type of song over a Trap sounding beat. It can sound Trap, but that doesn’t mean you have to talk about being from the Trap. Atlanta’s very open to everything. They love new stuff.”
Kiniza’s wide-ranging discography of tunes features cuts such as the Pop-tinged “Call It What You Want,” the flow heavy “Hop Out,” and the R&B-flavored “All Good.” Each of the tracks were produced by Nebu, a task he just started tackling earlier this year.
His 2014 mixtape Hypnosis featured production from veteran A-town beatmaker Sonny Digital. Kiniza also got assistance from Atlanta’s OVO Sound representative ILoveMakonnen on the remix to “Myself.”
The first version of “Myself” racked up 900,000 plays on SoundCloud, and the second edition added another 870,000 plays on the streaming platform. The connections with Makonnen and Sonny are the result of the well-known camaraderie that takes place among the musicians stationed in Georgia’s capital city.
“I met everybody through mutual friends. I met Makonnen through Sonny. I met Sonny through his older brother,” Kiniza reveals.
Nebu is hard at work on his next full length project. The collection will consist of Kiniza once again handling sections of the production as well as contributions from his longtime team of J-Louis, Cam Beats, and others. The crew presents itself as the indie movement known as OSHS (On Some Hippy Sh*t).
“I don’t feel like I’m a full Hippy yet. I feel like that takes some time of knowing yourself,” Kiniza states. “The On Some Hippy Sh*t movement was just natural. I said it in a song when I was freestyling, and then I said, ‘That’s my niche right there.’ Ever since then everybody started going with it.”
OSHS continues to accelerate their reach to a growing fan base. With Kiniza as the core of the expanding empire, the brand is steadily making an impression with listeners and industry insiders.
In the coming days, Kiniza will drop the visuals for “Gassed Up.” The new year will certainly see more music arriving from the emerging artisan as well. Additional show business ventures are also on the to-do list for the near future.
At the moment, Nebu Kiniza is planning to forgo the major label route and keep with his independent grind. Reigning over the entire entertainment landscape is the mission, but amassing capital is not the chief motivation.
“Money is one of the main things associated with success, but money isn’t everything to me,” Kiniza declares, “I just want to keep prospering. Every year I want to do something new. I’m going to do music. I’m going to do acting. I’m going to touch every avenue. There’s no limit to what success is to me.”
(AllHipHop News) Kendrick Lamar is having an amazing week. On Monday, he found out he landed the most Grammy nominations this year with 11, and now the Leader of the Free World is co-signing one of his songs.
People asked President Barack Obama to share some of his favorite things of 2015. When it came to music, the Commander-In-Chief named Kendrick’s “How Much A Dollar Cost” off the critically acclaimed album To Pimp A Butterfly.
President Obama also mentioned The Martian as his favorite movie of the year and The Knick as his favorite television show. First Lady Michelle Obama’s choices were “Uptown Funk” for favorite song, Inside Out for favorite movie, and Black-ish for favorite TV series.
Besides a Grammy nod for Album of the Year, Kendrick’s To Pimp A Butterfly was listed as the best album of 2015 by Rolling Stone, Spin, Entertainment Weekly, Consequence of Sound, Noisey, and many other publications. The LP also topped AllHipHop.com’s list of Best Reviewed Hip Hop Albums Of 2015.
(AllHipHop News) An attorney for James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond is pushing back against claims made in a recent article about his client. Bruce Maffeo of Cozen O’Conner takes issue with XXL publishing a piece titled “Today in Hip-Hop: 2Pac Attacked at Quad Studios in New York City” which states Rosemond confessed to the shooting of Tupac Shakur.
The article asserts an associate of Rosemond named Dexter Isaacs admitted to carrying out the attack against 2Pac in 1994. The article also states that Henchman admitted to setting up the hit in 2012. According to Maffeo, Rosemond never made an admission to being involved in that crime and unequivocally denies confessing to any such crimes against Shakur.
Maffeo states:
The allegation that James Rosemond “confessed” to shooting Tupac is completely false. There is no foundation for it in any of the documents I have reviewed as Jim’s criminal lawyer, and any statement otherwise is just another attempt to recirculate a baseless rumor that should have been laid to rest years ago. Mr. Rosemond specifically reserves all of his legal rights and remedies in the event of any further publication.
Rosemond’s legal team believes the rumor he admitted to being involved in the Pac shooting was sparked by U.S. Prosecutor Sonya Dayanda mentioning the incident during a sidebar with Judge John Gleeson and not in open court. Reportedly, Dayanda apologized to Rosemond’s former attorney Gerald Shargall for the mishap immediately afterwards.
In addition, Rosemond sued the Los Angeles Times for publishing fake documents and false allegations in 2008. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount and an apology was issued to Rosemond.
L.A. Times reporter Chuck Phillips’ story claiming Rosemond, Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, Jacques “Haitian Jack” Agnant, and James “Jimmy” Sabatino conspired to shoot 2Pac as retribution for not signing with Bad Boy Records was based on fake FBI documents. The newspaper was forced to retract the article.
Maffeo contends the allegations published on the XXL website are “whole-heartedly false” and damaging to Rosemond and his family. He adds his client will not hesitate to proceed with a lawsuit for damages.
Rosemond’s lawyer is also paying close attention to the upcoming Tupac Shakur biopic for any mentions that his client was involved in the 94 shooting. Legal action against the producers of the film is an option as well.
Street Money Worldwide CEO Bankroll Fresh keeps his momentum rolling with his second holiday blessing “Street Stimulus”. The Stimulus serves as a short recap of his recently released self-titled mixtape “Bankroll Fresh”. Perfect for your holiday gathering, party, or quick listen session. Included in the sampler are Bankrolls hit record “Take Over Your Trap” Featuring Skooly, & 2 Chainz, “Fake N####” produced by King Cee-O, “On Me” Featuring Street Money Boochie, “F*ck Is You Sayin”. Checkout the sampler below and stay tuned for “Take Over Your Trap” the feature film dropping soon!
Its been one hell of a year for The Weeknd, so to close out the year Abel drops what might be his last visual of the year. This track “In the Night” can be found on Beauty Behind the Madness and honestly the wait was well worth it for this BRTHR directed semi-movie.
This video is great, but let the MJ comparisons begin. Peep the early shots in this video that look like “Billy Jean,” combined with other MJ moves like singing in the rain.
This is one of the top albums of the year though, so don’t confuse any of that with complaining. Side note: look for Abel’s girl Bella Hadid in the video with a smooth cameo.
Check out this giant rock! It appears that Nicki and Meek are making a big statement. Now, I could be wrong but it just seems as if they are making it clear. Remember, they were house shopping so they don’t show any signs of going away. I know Drake was hoping that it would happen so his lyrics prophecy could be fulfilled. Not looking good.
DJ Holiday has recruited Young Thug for his new song “Everyday,” and the collboration has already garnered thousands of views on the internet. Young Thug’s raps are his classic non sequitur and the video is a visual trip.
Download DJ Holiday’s “God Bless The Mixtape” here on iTunes: https://goo.gl/9jtYUr.
After dropping two highly anticipated projects and rising to become one of the most popular rap stars in 2015, Future has recently announced that he will be touring the country in 2016. The Purple ReignTour will feature Ty Dolla $ign as a guest performer, traveling to 21 cities nationally to perform for the #FutureHive. The rapper recently performed his hit singles “Blow A Bag” and “Where Ya At” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
From her introspective bars to her emerging imprint, Business Minded Bosses, Samantha “3D Na’Tee” James is on her quest to earn longevity. As an organic entrepreneur, this Louisiana MC continues to use her life experiences and her desire to be respected as “one of the best lyricists of all time” to motivate her movements. While her actions serve to reinforce her dreams, 3D Na’Tee is certain to make a lasting impression.
Below check ‘Tee in action. For more insight on 3D Na’Tee check out her site and her YouTube.
Post Malone teams up with 50 Cent for a brand new banger entitled “Tryna F### Me Over”. Over a swaggering throwback East Coast beat from producer Scoop DeVille, Post turns up with a woozy and wild cameo between an immediately chantable hook. It brings together Dallas and New York like never before…
The track is available on 50 Cent’s latest project, The Kanan Tape, out at Datpiff.com.
Lil Boosie is now cancer free? That is what the streets are saying? Nobody knows for sure, of course. Since the rapper underwent surgery, he has been very tight-lipped. He requested prayers from fans before he went under the knife. According to rumors, the survival rate for Boosie’s type of cancer is very high – over 80%. It seems like the New Orleans rep was blessed to have the cancer surgically taken from his body.
(AllHipHop News) Last week Mass Appeal Records released a new album from the late rapper Chad “Pimp C” Butler. Long Live the Pimp was spearheaded by the UGK member’s widow Chinara Butler. However, Pimp C’s sons Chad Butler Jr and Corey Butler released a statement claiming they were not involved in the creation of the project. They also stated neither offspring would “receive any of the benefits from album sales.”
Chinara Butler has since spoken to Billboard about the allegations from Pimp C’s sons. Ms. Butler told the publication she is “disheartened” by the statement. She also maintains all of Pimp’s children will benefit from the sales of Long Live The Pimp through publishing profits established to go to the Estate of Chad Butler.
AllHipHop.com has also been given access to a “letter of direction” which asserts the children and their guardians agreed for percentages to be sent through Bug Music, Inc. The letter is dated August 12, 2008 and includes the signatures of Chinara Butler, Christian Butler (daughter), Chad Butler II (son), Nitacha Broussard, Dahcorey Turner [Corey Butler] (son), and Angie Crooks.
Pimp C’s Long Live The Pimp is available on iTunes.
