New York City announced plans to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Wu-Tang Clan’s acclaimed album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Mayor Eric Adams will declare November 9 as Wu-Tang Day and the Empire State Building will honor the group with black and yellow lighting.
The city’s tribute coincides with RZA’s three-night run of shows at the Gramercy Theatre. RZA’s live orchestra experience concludes on Thursday (November 9).
Wu-Tang Clan’s 30th anniversary festivities continue later this month with the launch of Wu Wednesdays, a new weekly show on LL Cool J’s SiriusXM channel Rock the Bells. The RZA-presented show premieres on November 29.
Fans will hear new and classic tracks from every Wu-Tang Clan member, interviews and more on Wu Wednesdays. RZA will focus on the group’s performance at SiriusXM’s Hip-Hop 50 event in the first episode.
RZA’s company 36 Chambers will also host a pop-up shop in Manhattan’s East Village on Thursday. The pop-up offers a variety of Wu-Tang Clan merchandise, including signed copies of RZA’s graphic novel Bobby Digital and the Pit of Snakes.
Fans outside of New York can pre-order a limited box set and a commemorative vinyl copy of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) via Get On Down on Thursday at noon EST. Pre-orders will only be available until November 30.
Sexyy Red dubbed herself the modern-day version of Boosie Badazz, prompting the man himself to give his stamp of approval to her claim. Boosie reacted to Sexyy Red’s comments when TMZ cameras caught up with him in Los Angeles.
“I feel like she giving me my flowers,” he said with a smile. “I don’t get my flowers a lot. And I’m a ratchet hood n#### who still getting money, who getting a bankroll. I ain’t take it no way but as she showing me love. She on top of the game right now. We both from the trenches. People can relate to us.”
Earlier this year, Boosie expressed interest in appearing on a remix of Sexyy Red’s single “Pound Town.” The two never connected for the remix, but a collaboration is in the works.
“I just sent her a record,” Boosie told TMZ. “I’m just waiting on her to get back at me. I sent it to her people. Matter of fact, it’s me, her and BeatKing. It’s crazy.”
Boosie also revealed he’s working on albums with B.G. and Daz Dillinger. B.G. was released from prison in September and quickly linked up with Boosie for a song titled “My Dawg.”
Rubi Rose is far beyond the normal timetable for snatching up a “rebound guy” following her relationship with DDG—but that’s not stopping Paul Pierce.
In fact, the retired NBA champion recently got a chance to shoot his shot with the rising rapper and the results were low-key unexpected. Well, more-so surprising because in the grand scheme of things, something like this was definitely expected from the likes of an “It Girl” like Rose.
Per usual, it all started with a steamy thirst trap selfie that Pierce got caught up in after Rose shared the mirror flick to Twitter. “My Crush,” Pierce wrote in reply to the photo. His flirty remark was instantly met with shot-blockers at the rim. One user even called out the blatant age gap between the pair, writing, “Bro older than the number on his jersey talking about ‘my crush,” to which Pierce replied, “Damn my guy u ugly as hell.”
Again, the thought of Pierce and Rose involved together at any capacity seems absurd—that is until you remember that we’re talking about the same guy that got fired from ESPN for going live on Instagram with a few strippers. Not to mention, Rose fully embraces her femininity and isn’t afraid of being labeled promiscuous in her pursuit of a male suitor. So in essence, none of us should be surprised that Rose actually offered up the digits to Pierce on some “ask and you shall receive” type vibes.
Whether that’s Rose’s real number is yet to be determined, mostly because I haven’t had a chance yet to text the line and pretend like I’m Pierce to find out myself. No matter what, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably reading this somewhere punching the air right now. He’s just being greedy at this point.
The Dove Shack rapper C-Knight died on Tuesday (November 7) after suffering a stroke. As reported by TMZ, his family was forced to take him off life support once there were no signs of brain activity. C-Knight was hospitalized last month with elevated blood sugars, a result of diabetes. While receiving dialysis at the facility, he had a stroke and went into cardiac arrest. Although he was resuscitated by doctors and promptly put on life support, he remained in an unresponsive state. A recent MRI determined the loss of brain function and his family was faced with making the decision to stop all life-saving measures. C-Knight was 52.
The Dove Shack originated from Long Beach, California and was part of the West Coast G-Funk movement in the 1990s. Along with fellow members Bo-Roc and 2Scoops, C-Knight made their debut with the song “This Is the Shack” off Warren G’s Regulate…G Funk Era album. In 1995, they released their inaugural album, also titled This Is The Shack, which spawned the hit “Summertime in the LBC” featuring Arnita Porter.
Tributes for C-Knight have been rolling in on social media. Fellow artists like Bumpy Knuckles wrote, “Salute Dove Shack Rapper C-Knight Forever,” but the most emotional tribute came from Bo-Roc.
“This is like f###ing nightmare,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I swear this s### hurt different and I don’t want to talk about s### to nobody so please just let me be and pray for us… On my soul I love you bro and I already don’t know what the f### to do wit u being gone.”
Just two weeks ago, Bo-Roc was soliciting prayers for C-Knight, writing in another post, “I’m literally begging all who see’s this post to pray for my brother from another mother and one of my closest friends in the world Arnez a.k.a C Knight from the Dove Shack. He’s the founder of the Dove Shack and the reason I had the opportunity to make #summertimeinthelbc for the world so please please send him positive energy and healing prayers.”
AllHipHop sends our condolences to Bo-Roc, 2Scoops and all those who loved C-Knight.
New Edition have joined a long list of acts to take their talents to Las Vegas. All six members of the iconic R&B/Pop group will reunite once again for a concert series in Sin City.
The verified Instagram account for New Edition announced Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill will hit Vegas beginning in February 2024.
“IT’S OFFICIAL! We’re launching our Las Vegas residency at the intimate Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on February 28! Tickets go on sale Friday, November 10 at 10 am PT. See you in Vegas,” read New Edition’s IG caption.
New Edition embarked on The Culture Tour in 2022. The 1980s/1990s-era boy band then presented The Legacy Tour earlier this year with fellow R&B performers Keith Sweat, Guy and Tank. The Legacy Tour closed on April 30 in Tampa.
“This is going to [be] more theatrical than our Legacy and Culture tours,” Bobby Brown stated about the upcoming Encore Theater residency in Vegas. “This will be a lot more intimate. We wanted it to be up, close and personal for our fans.”
New Edition first garnered national attention with the 1983 single “Candy Girl” off their debut album of the same name. The group’s extensive catalog also includes hits such as “Cool It Now,” “Mr. Telephone Man,” “If It Isn’t Love” and “Can You Stand the Rain.”
BET helped immortalize NE’s legacy and introduce them to a new generation by broadcasting The New Edition Story in 2017. The cast of the Chris Robinson-directed miniseries included Woody McClain, Algee Smith, Bryshere Y. Gray, Elijah Kelley, Keith Powers, Luke James, Caleb McLaughlin, Myles Truitt, Wood Harris, Michael Rapaport and Tank.
Some people have expressed frustration or indifference to Chrisean Rock’s rise as a celebrity. Despite the critics and doubters, the Baltimore-bred internet personality/reality show star continues to find success in the entertainment business.
For example, Chrisean Rock made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week. Her “Mr. Take Ya B*tch” collaboration with 18-year-old rapper Lil Mabu debuted at No. 96 on the list of the most popular songs in America.
“God got me hitting Billboard 100,” Chrisean posted on her Instagram Story. “It’s crazy cuz I did it while I was in a storm. My baby was still in the hospital recovering from surgery and I was so down [for real].”
Lil Mabu also took the opportunity to celebrate “Mr. Take Ya B*tch” landing on the Hot 100. The New York City native uploaded a 9-second video showing his placement on the Billboard chart.
“Been HOT & I been keeping it. 💯 @billboardcharts,” Lil Mabu captioned his social media clip. He also shared the same video of his Hot 100 entry on his own Instagram Story on Tuesday (November 7).
Previously, Lil Mabu peaked in the Top 50 on the Hot 100 chart with “Mathematical Disrespect” in May. That song rose to No. 47 on the Hot 100 and placed in the Top 20 of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs rankings.
The music video for Lil Mabu and Chrisean Rock’s “Mr. Take Ya B*tch” has amassed over 19 million views on YouTube since its premiere on October 16. Mabu also accumulated more than 12 million streams on Spotify for his three-week-old track.
Offset dropped his sophomore album, Set It Off, last month. Promotion for the project continues as the former Migos member brought his two-year-old son, Wave Set Cephus, along for a new video.
Vevo tapped Offset as the latest artist to take part in the Ctrl series. For his performance of the Set It Off opening track “On The River,” the Georgia-bred rapper had Wave with him as a mini-hype man.
“ON THE RIVER (Live Session)” went viral. Many social media users praised Wave for already showing on-screen charisma as a toddler. Commenters also acknowledged Offset for highlighting his family in his art.
Offset’s wife, Hip-Hop superstar Cardi B, shared some of her thoughts on the online reactions to her husband and son’s Ctrl visual. In particular, she responded to her little boy saying, “Good job, Wavey.”
After an X user pointed out Wave’s closing remarks in the “ON THE RIVER (Live Session)” clip, Cardi tweeted, “YEUP!!!!! That’s what he said…We call him Wavey, Wavey boy, Wavey man.🌊💧💦.”
YEUP !!!!! Thats what he said …We call him Wavey ,Wavey boy,Wavey man🌊💧💦 https://t.co/l4kNYR2dND
This was not the first time Offset featured his offspring as part of his Set It Off era. His two kids with Cardi – Wave and daughter Kulture Kiari Cephus – as well as his three children from previous relationships starred in the “Jealousy” music video.
“Jealousy” also contained a guest verse by Cardi B. The Grammy-winning rapstress appeared on the Set It Off track “Freaky” too. In addition, Offset enlisted Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Future, Mango Foo, Latto, Young Nudy and Chlöe for the body of work.
While currently locked up in California’s North Kern State Prison, Tory Lanez still has new music ready to drop in the near future. An extended version of his Alone at Prom album is apparently on the way.
Court reporter Meghann Cuniff became a central figure covering Tory Lanez’s assault and firearm case in 2022 and the subsequent hearings. Cuniff’s commentary and analysis would often contradict many of the pro-Lanez reports coming out of the trial.
As the Alone at Prom (Deluxe) promo video spread across the internet, Meghann Cuniff decided to react to the possible digital diss by Tory Lanez. She tweeted, “Hmmm what do you all think? Me or nah? 😂🙄🥰.”
Cuniff also shared a link to Megan Thee Stallion’s top-trending “Cobra” music video. In December 2022, a jury convicted Tory Lanez (born Daystar Peterson) of assaulting Megan Thee Stallion. The “WAP” performer accused him of shooting her in the feet on July 12, 2020.
Peterson received a 10-year prison sentence for assault with a semiautomatic handgun, having a loaded and unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and gross negligence in discharging his firearm. Back in September of this year, reports suggested Lanez taunted Meghann Cuniff during a bail hearing.
“I didn’t hear it and I’m still working to see if [the] transcript has it, but I’ve confirmed Tory Lanez chose to use his final courtroom moments to profanely insult me, calling me ‘a googly-eyed b####’ as he looked at [the] gallery. Conflicting reports on whether he named me. A fitting end,” Cuniff tweeted two months ago.
Tory Lanez’s sixth studio album, Alone at Prom, originally arrived on December 10, 2021. The project peaked at No. 59 on the Billboard 200 and only charted for seven weeks. He also released Sorry 4 What in 2022 which made it into the Top 10.
I didn’t hear it and I’m still working to see if transcript has it, but I’ve confirmed Tory Lanez chose to use his final courtroom moments to profanely insult me, calling me “a googly eyed b####” as he looked at gallery. Conflicting reports on whether he named me.
On Wednesday (November 8) Rocky arrived at the Los Angeles County criminal courthouse in downtown L.A. fully masked up and in a three-piece suit with bodyguards at his side. His appearance at the courthouse was reportedly for a preliminary probable cause hearing in his 2022 gun case.
A$AP Rocky has arrived at a Los Angeles County criminal courthouse for the probable cause hearing in his gun assault case
He’s wearing a suit, tie, surgical mask and sunglasses as he waits in hallway with his bodyguard and lawyers
In August 2022, Rocky was formally charged with two counts of first-degree assault after he was accused of firing a weapon at Relli during a personal confrontation in November 2021. According to a thread shared by court reporter Meghann Cuniff, Rocky’s preliminary hearing will likely last only one day while the judge reviews evidence and decides whether or not to move forward with the charges being brought against the A$AP Mob member.
A$AP Rocky is being represented by trial attorney Joe Tacopina, who has previously worked with Meek Mill, among others. According to Cunniff, Camille Vasquez and Ben Chew of Brown Rudnik, the firm which represented Johnny Depp in his defamation case against Amber Heard, are representing a witness in the case.
Rocky reportedly exited the courtroom 20 minutes past 1 p.m. PT following witness testimony from Relli (real name is Terrell Ephron). Relli was also cross-examined by Tacopina and details of his testimony were re-published in a report byTMZ. Ephron testified the issues between he and Rocky started after he claims his former associate became dishonest and didn’t honor his promise to cover funeral expenses for a deceased A$AP Mob member. Ephron claims he met A$AP Rocky at a L.A. hotel after the rapper demanded to know where he was.
Rocky allegedly pointed a gun at Ephron‘s stomach and said “I will kill you” before firing the gun at him multiple times. He was reportedly struck by at least one of the shots in the hand.
The judge reportedly allowed a video camera in the courtroom for documentation purposes and allegedly denied Tacopina’s request for a closed session.
Dive in and dissect the full thread of events that unfolded during the hearing after Rocky arrived to the courthouse below.
Sonja Norwood, the mother of Brandy and Ray J, recently became headline news following reports of a serious medical situation. She has now spoken out about being hospitalized.
TMZ reported that Sonja Norwood had to be rushed to a hospital. Norwood supposedly suffered complications from an in-home IV treatment. Ray J and other family members reportedly expressed concern at the time.
“I don’t usually address stories about myself, but I was quite surprised to wake up to a call from a long-time friend/publicist asking, ‘Sonja, are you in the hospital, and are you okay?’ ‘What? Where is that coming from?’ I asked,” Norwood wrote on Facebook.
She continued, “There was a TMZ story that I was not aware of. She sent the link, and when I looked at it, I frowned and said, ‘That was weeks ago.’ And, ‘They could have gotten my age right.’ Then the floodgates of concerns just took over my phone. I had no idea the responses would be so huge to the point I couldn’t address them one by one, so I felt the need to say something publicly.”
Brandy and Ray J’s longtime manager went on to clarify that physicians cleared her to return home from the medical facility. She also thanked her online supporters for their positive thoughts following the story breaking.
“Thank God I am not in the hospital. I’m doing great! I did have a negative reaction to an IV VITAMIN Therapy WEEKS AGO! It was not a big deal. I went to the hospital and got a big Grade A on my medical reports,” stated Sonja Norwood.
The A Family Business reality show co-star concluded, “It’s known that I seek medical attention if there could be a potential health issue at my age. That is about it! Nothing more or less! You guys are the best! Don’t be mad with TMZ.”
Paul Wall has a brand-new single with fellow Texans Bun B and Chalie Boy.
Titled “Bounce, Rock, Skate,” the track is an ode to Houston’s unique culture and pays homage to Houston’s beloved “slabs.” Said to be an acronym for “slow, loud and bangin,” the term refers to old-school cars lavishly decked out, which have become a mainstay in Houston.
Listen to the track below.
Paul Wall went viral this summer after social media users were dumbfounded over his new look. The Houston-bred rapper went viral after sharing a video on his TikTok page. While he was concerned his face looked like he was using an old man filter, fans loved his appearance, with many praising his silver-fox looks.
1st off, why my face look like the old man filter lol, we had a lot of fun yesterday, perfoming halftime with @Louie TheSinger and watching the @Houston Texans Mannnn gonna be a long journey but u can definitely feel we’re headed in the right direction @Tank Dell LFG homie!!!!
The platinum-selling rapper will reunite with his “Bounce, Rock, Skate,” collaborator Bun B in an upcoming Hip-Hop 50 celebration. They will be joined by other Southerners, including the likes of Juvenile, Twista, David Banner, Mia X and Pastor Troy at the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop, Dirty South Edition event in Huntsville, Alabama later this month.
Bun B also features on Paul Wall’s latest album, Start Finish Repeat, a joint project with Termanology, appearing on the song “Houston BBQ.” The project was released earlier this month on November 3.
Jeezy has opened up about his split from Jeannie Mai in a candid interview, revealing divorce has been understandably challenging. The 46-year-old rap vet addressed his divorce during a revealing hour-long conversation with Nia Long. According to Jeezy, therapy couldn’t save their relationship after two and a half years of marriage and a child together.
“This has not been an easy journey,” Jeezy replied when Long asked about his split from Jeannie Mai. “I can tell you that I’m sad, I can tell you that I’m disappointed, I can tell you that I’m uneasy. But God has put me on a different path, and that path is going to entail for me to take care of myself and to love myself and to be in the best situation that I can thrive as someone who’s been through all of the things that I’ve been through.”
The “Put On” hitmaker explained that while he doesn’t “like to fail at anything,” he “can only be responsible” for himself. He added, “I can only do what I can do. I can’t expect someone else to do what I’m doing.”
Jeezy also shared that he and Jeannie Mai went to therapy before their divorce. “Well then s###, you tried,” Nia Long replied.
Jeezy speaks on divorce with Jeannie Mai & says therapy could not fix their marriage 😲 pic.twitter.com/oZxtZuXP0m
Jeezy broke his silence on the split in October, saying, “The decision to end this chapter in my life was not made impulsively and comes with a heavy heart. Despite this, my love and respect for Jeannie remains, and the time we spent together holds a cherished place in my heart.”
The same month, Jeannie Mai said she was “taking it day by day” and focusing on their one-year-old daughter. Watch the full conversation with Nia Long below.
Rick Ross and Meek Mill have both gone viral with botched dive attempts that spread like wildfire on social media.
Thankfully, the MMG duo are able to laugh at themselves and each other, and they did just that during a recent interview. They were asked to rate their respective flops in a chat with Complex.
“Mine more legendary,” Rick Ross said before clowning Meek Mill’s viral dive. “Yo! Oh my God. That’s one of the greatest flops in the history of flops. N#### jumped off, ain’t get no distance off the side, went high and came down the cup.”
The internet trolled the Philly-bred rapper for weeks after a video of his belly-flopping dive went viral.
Meek Mill tried to explain that the “cup’ is a “cultural thing,” amid fits of laughter from Rick Ross and the crew. “In Philly when we dive, we cup. You got to make it hit your stomach,” he clarified. “But it ain’t a belly flop.”
Meek Mill tried to redeem himself with a video of him doing a “clean” dive. “This my little dive I send to my checks when they be sending me Instagram memes,” he said, showing off a clip of a graceful entry into the pool.
Rozay was the talk of social media after footage emerged of his pool antics at a pool party at his “Promise Land” estate in Georgia over the summer. His legs buckled as he attempted to show off his diving skills, leading him to flop into the water.
“Ross just f##### up right here,” Meek Mill said as he watched a clip of the MMG honcho’s dive. “His springboard is so bouncy.”
Ross explained, “So I blew out my knee,” adding, “I blew out my s###, I ain’t gon’ lie. I felt real pain, but I got out and dove again.” Check out the clip below and watch the interview here.
Speculation of a split began recently as social media users noticed the pair had unfollowed each other on Instagram and deleted all photos of each other from their accounts, a tell-tale sign of an impending separation in the internet age.
We just love these two together! Lori Harvey and Damson Idris in LA for her debut swimwear line, Yevrah launch party! 💕 pic.twitter.com/CXgUazQyv6
More rumors followed earlier this week after the couple arrived separately at Odell Beckham Jr.’s party. The pair have now confirmed the gossip and announced their split.
In a joint statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday (November 7), Lori Harvey and Damson Idris revealed that despite the “love and respect” they share, they want to focus on themselves as individuals.
“We are at a point in our lives where our individual paths require our full attention and dedication,” the couple began. “We part ways remaining friends with nothing but love and respect for each other and the time we shared together.”
The model and the Hollywood actor dated for around a year and were first spotted together in Hollywood last December. They debuted their romance a month later on Instagram for Harvey’s birthday in January.
Split rumors go back as far as Jun when Damson Idris shared a cryptic post, which many took as a message to Lori Harvey.
“The only thing that changes the value of something is its location,” he shared on his IG Story. “So the next time you feel worthless. Perhaps you are just in the wrong place. Find where you will be valued.”
Timbaland has apologized after landing in hot water for joking that Justin Timberlake “should have put a muzzle” on Britney Spears ahead of her recently released memoir.
Titled The Woman in Me, Spears’s book makes numerous revelations about her former relationship with Timberlake that paint him in a negative light. She revealed that she had an abortion, claiming that he was unhappy with the pregnancy and didn’t want to be a father.
Spears also said Timberlake accused her of cheating multiple times and said his 2002 music video for “Cry Me a River” depicted her as a “harlot.”
Timbaland, who co-wrote and co-produced “Cry Me a River,” was asked about the song “making headlines again” during a recent panel at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
“She going crazy, right,” The Hip-Hop super producer said, interrupting the question. “I wanted to call and say, ‘JT, you gotta put a muzzle on that girl.'”
The audience laughed as Timbo continued. “But you know what, we live in an age of social media and viral, everybody wanna go viral,” he added. “I get it, because that’s the way you make money. Go viral. I’ve gotta do something to get people’s attention.”
Timbaland says Justin Timberlake should have put a “muzzle” on Britney Spears, following the release of her memoir:
“I wanted to call JT and say 'Man! You should have put a muzzle on that girl.'”
However, Timbaland faced social media scrutiny once clips of his comments hit social media. He was widely slammed by many who were appalled by his comments in light of Spear’s 13-year conservatorship.
After catching wind of the backlash, Timbaland has apologized to Britney Spears.
“I apologize to the Britney fans and her,” he said during a TikTok live. “Hell yeah,” he added, agreeing with a comment about respecting women.
It looks like Lil Baby doesn’t subscribe to the old adage “don’t start no s###, won’t be no s###. Fans seem be convinced that Lil Baby wants all the smoke with Young Thug’s Young Stoner Life record label following his recent performance. Over the weekend a video clip of what appeared to be the 4PF rap star throwing up a YSL sign while performing went viral.
The move would likely have been seen as a show of support even just a year ago. However, given the circumstance with the ongoing YSL RICO case and the fact Baby was spitting some unsavory lyrics about snitching when he threw the set up, fans think this is a clear sign of disrespect.
The other factor that makes this occurrence super messy is the fact that both Lil Baby and Gunna purportedly dissed each other in the months leading up to this shady moment. If you recall, fans caught wind of some bars Baby spit on Lil Dann’s “Family Freestyle” that seemed to perfectly place Gunna in the crosshairs. Wham’s “Drip 2 Hard” collaborator appeared to send shots of his own via his follow-up diss, “Bread & Butter.” And even though Gunna swore up and down that he didn’t diss Lil Baby, rumors swirled in June that Young Thug gave him the green light to fire off a diss on his featured slot of the Business Is Business album.
Check out the full clip below and decide for yourself if it’s up there and stuck there or low-key chill and mf’ers are just reaching.
Chrisean Rock charted on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in her career thanks to her Blueface diss track. The reality TV star celebrated online after her Lil Mabu collaboration “Mr. Take Ya B####” debuted at No. 96 on the chart.
“God got me hitting Billboard 100,” she wrote on Instagram Stories. “It’s crazy cuz I did it while I was in a storm. My baby was still in the hospital recovering from surgery and I was so down fr just mentally n for me to be able to create in a storm bro, I’m just letting y’all know God just want you to try and he will do the rest. Just make sure your heart is Posture is correct so you can receive yo blessings.”
Chrisean Rock and Lil Mabu’s song entered the Hot 100 by generating 7.8 million U.S. streams from October 27 to November 2, per Billboard. The track was Lil Mabu’s second Hot 100 entry of his career. He previously cracked the chart with his song “Mathematical Disrespect” in May.
“Mr. Take Ya B####” dropped in October. The song’s music video had more than 18 million views on YouTube as of Tuesday (November 7).
Jeezy may have a reputation as a tough talking rapper, but he’s human at the end of the day. On Monday (November 6), the CTE World co-founder teased a forthcoming interview with actress Nina Long via Instagram, which finds the 46-year-old opening up about a slew of personal topics. He wrote in the caption, “Your truth will set you free, but not until it’s finished with you. I Might Forgive, But I Don’t Forget one on one conversation with Ms. @iamnialong,” a nod to his latest album, I Might Forgive…But I Don’t Forget.
In one of the clips, Jeezy tells Long, “I was introduced to sex at very young age,” to which Long asks “molested?” He nods in agreement. It’s a tender moment in what promises to be a very in-depth and raw conversation—and that was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Other clips show Jeezy opening up about former friends betraying him and trying to take his life, his “toxic relationship” with his mother and dealing with imposter syndrome.
Another clip shows Long saying, “There is an expiration date on everything,” which will likely lead to both of them taking about their recent breakups. Jeezy recently filed for divorce from talk show host Jeannie Mai after two years of marriage and one child together, while Long split from NBA coach Ime Udoka following his 2022 cheating scandal with a Boston Celtics staffer that resulted in his removal from the team. Long and Udoka share their 12-year-old son, Kez Sunday Long Udoka.
The full conversation airs live on Tuesday (November 7) at 6 p.m. ET on YouTube. Until then, watch Jeezy’s teaser below.
Chevy Woods is an OG in the rap game, best known for being part of Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang imprint. Not only was he able to go on tour this past summer with Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Too Short, and Berner, but he’s also been focused on his forthcoming album titled 1998, paying homage to the era of Hip-Hop we all know and love.
Beyond rap, Chevy Woods recently unveiled his first ever EDM collaboration with the producer Gromo. The two worked together to release “Protagonist,” an uptempo, bass house record that blends the genres of Hip-Hop and dance music, featuring Chevy’s distinct vocals. This is the perfect example of two creatives stepping outside of their comfort zone, coming together to create a melting pot of sounds.
Hailing from New York, Gromo is a producer, DJ, and musician, who’s a veteran performer at ULTRA Worldwide events. After studying at NYU’s prestigious Clive Davis Institute, Gromo went on to shut down stages all around the world, performing Ultra events in Miami, Europe, and Asia.
Gromo states, “I’m adopted from Guatemala, came to the city. Immersed in the New York culture, became an instant Hip Hop head. Got thrown into a lot of different things. Because in the city, there’s not one genre. You’re able to mix into a bunch of things. I got into Hip-Hop, I got into electronic music, I got into rock music. That all bleeds into my music, which is cool with this new track “Protagonist” that Chevy and I worked on. It was one of the ones where everything came together. It really represents all my influences coming from NYC.”
“Protagonist” is the second single off Gromo’s forthcoming EP titled The Vortex, following the project’s self-titled track released back in July.
AllHipHop spoke with Chevy Woods and Gromo to discuss their love for Hip-Hop, collaborating on “Protagonist,” Gromo’s forthcoming project, Chevy writing country songs, and more!
What was the moment you guys fell in love with Hip Hop?
Chevy Woods: I’m creating a project right now that’s called 1998, it’s an ode to that. I used to always listen to music of course, but breaking it down: bars, stories, flow patterns, content and topics — around 1998 is when I really fell in love with it. The project I’m about to drop soon, it’s all boom bap raps. I’m not looking for a single, none of that stuff. I just wanted to bring the essence.
1998, who was the most poppin’ artist at that time?
Chevy Woods: For me around that time, I’ll listen to a lot of No Limit, old Cash Money. A lot of Capone-N-Noreaga. 41st Side, Queensbridge stuff. Big L had passed that year or the year before, so I was listening to Big L before that. It was super East Coast of fluence. But at the same time, we had to sprinkle that New Orleans in there a little bit. Just for the thugs. [laughs]
Gromo: 1998 is when I was born. [laughs]
Chevy Woods: What?? You just dated me bro.
Gromo: I was a ‘98 boy. A lot of dope albums came out, I remember DMX’s album came out that year. For me, I really got introduced to Hip Hop through Mac Miller. That was my introduction, from his style and how his originality was so different from everyone else. But the moment I really fell in love with it was when I heard 36 Chambers. That was the album where I’m like, this is it. From that, I got into Mobb Deep, Capone-N-Noreaga, all those hardcore New York artists. Really fell in love with that gritty, grimy sound that’s really signature. Also, A Tribe Called Quest is another group that really opened my ears to how special and important Hip Hop is to all of us.
So how did you guys tap in for “Protagonist”?
Gromo: We both have our own separate teams and people we work with. The cool thing about this is we were able to combine our teams. Someone on my team knew Chevy, and someone from Chevy’s team knew someone on mine. We decided hey, how about we combine our forces and make something really dope happen? And that’s what happened.
Chevy Woods: I always wanted to do something like that. There were a couple people that pitched me records that I said eh, maybe. Or I did something that I wasn’t in love with. When I heard this beat, then I heard what I could do to it: okay, this can be something else. After he gets in his hands and does what he does to it. When he sent it back, g######! S###. Let’s go to Vegas bro.
Both: [laughs]
And this is the first time you guys are meeting?!
Gromo: Yeah, literally. That’s how a lot of it is these days with collaborations. Since the pandemic, it’s been harder to get into the studio with people and people’s schedules are busier than ever. A lot of us are finding in the writing world that it’s easy to connect virtually, then throw stuff back and forth. At least going in with Chevy, we’re talking to Chevy Woods here. This has to sound like something Chevy’s gonna get on. I did not want to give them something that sounded off his lane. Coming from that HipHop background, there’s a certain edge that needs to be there. That’s something I want to make sure on my end that I did. At the same time, I want to highlight everything great that Chevy does as an artist and as an MC.
Chevy Woods: To add to that: what he sent me didn’t change me, like he’s saying. It was a perfect fit for me to do what I need to do. It wasn’t “oh, I need you to do this or that.”
Chevy, is this the first time you hopped on an EDM beat?
Chevy Woods: I have some in my hard drive that I didn’t release, but this is the first time that people are getting to hear me like that for sure. Besides the homies, they know I have these records. But it wasn’t at this level with everything: with the lyrics, with the track, with the camaraderie of our teams knowing each other. When I did it for other people, it didn’t have an organic feeling. It was “yo, throw something on here and I’ll do this.” Okay, then what? Him following up, getting the artwork created and gone, that means he’s really behind the record.
What inspired the visualizer?
Gromo: For the visualizer, that was a really important thing for me to highlight. With any kind of dance track, the one thing for me is there are not enough stories. For me, what was important with the visuals was to tell a story. The “Protagonist” video was inspired by my struggle with prescription drugs. I was prescribed a medication when I was young, which was a high dose and it ended up having a bad impact on my life.
With this video, I wanted to show that there’s really not too much of a difference between the pharmaceutical companies who make these drugs and give them to people than the so-called drugs that are illegal. The visualizer was created for you to ask questions. Why are certain things legal or illegal? For me telling stories is just as or even more important than the music itself and that’s what I tried to do with the visualizer.
Is there going to be an official music video coming?
Gromo: I’m down for that.
Chevy Woods: He got the answer. I don’t got the answer? If he wants to do it, I’m down.
Gromo: Chevy if you want to do it, man I’m totally down to do it. 100%. NYC to LA, LA to NYC.
Chevy Woods: It needs that. For me, when I listened to it, I listened to it when I was tipsy off of drinking. Off of smoking weed of course. But you know what the best is? Off the mushrooms. It’s so good. The visualizer’s so good to watch and listen when you’re off shrooms. I don’t know if you’ve experienced — when I listen to music, there’s certain places I need to go. That’s where it takes me. Oh yeah, let me do some mushrooms and listen to this s###. See what I feel like. It gives you a good dance feeling. That cool drug, not the other side.
How was the creative process, doing it virtually?
Chevy Woods: We didn’t really sit down and do it, it was sent out via email. We were using emails and Instagram. Like he said, people are still trying to climb back from the pandemic and get into a comfortable space. People think it’s going to happen with the snap of a finger, but we’re two years removed from it and it’s still in its same place right now. It’s going to be cool, but also getting stuff done like this — because I didn’t start either with my setup. I didn’t stream or do none of this stuff until the pandemic came, that’s when I really got into it. It was easy connecting through emails, Instagram, and socials, because that’s the realm we were in a couple years back.
Gromo: We literally started the track just after the summer in 2020, it was still hot in the pandemic and we were still locked up. It was very much shooting ideas back and forth. That’s something I’ve been doing for most of my career with different artists. Where I grew up, there really weren’t no creative people so I’ve used the internet to my benefit. I went on SoundCloud and Spotify, found different talent and reached out to people to collaborate. With Chevy, it was cool. You have some other people who can happen and help assist put all this magic together. It’s great that with technology, you’re able to connect with people from all over the world. From different places and make it happen. This is one of those scenarios where it all worked out.
What can we expect from The Vortex?
Gromo: The Vortex is an emotional experience. I wanted to create something that’s really going to mean something to people. The main thing I want to address with The Vortex is depression, mental health, and suicide awareness. For me, I struggle with depression. It feels like a vortex where every day goes on and on and on. You’re sucked into those bad thoughts. I wanted to create a project that can be therapeutic to me, but then therapeutic to other people.
Because music is incredible. I don’t know what it is but when I’m going through something and I put on some good music, it goes away. The special thing is as artists, we’re able to channel that in and put it into the music. Other people, they don’t have that outlet. I wanted to provide an outlet for other people who are struggling right now. To get off the internet, get off social media, sit down and tune out. Listen to some music, wherever you are. That’s the important thing for the project.
I also want to highlight all my influences from rock to Hip Hop to dance music, to film and score, all that stuff. Create an experience for people so it’s not so one-dimensional where you’re listening to a song on Spotify. You have a visual, you have a story, you have a message, you have artwork that grabs you. I want to create a whole package for people to really connect with and use this as a launching ground to keep building over the next couple of years.
Chevy Woods: Love that.
Are you guys going to collaborate on another record?
Chevy Woods: Oh yeah, the start is the base point. We like what we just did, so why not? You might hear an EP, you never know.
Gromo: I’m always open to any collaboration, videos. When something works out — and it’s so hard with artists to really have a natural vibe. Sometimes when you work with people, it’s hard. But with Chevy and I, we clicked instantly. Things just happened. He knew exactly what to do with the record, and I made sure I knew what to give what was most comfortable for Chevy to hop on.
Chevy’s been in the rap game for a minute. What do you like about Chevy and his music?
Gromo: Chevy’s energy, he has such a strong command on the mic. He really believes everything he says, he owns it. Sometimes when I listen to people, I don’t believe what they’re saying. When Chevy says something, I know he’s saying it and he’s putting you in the room. That’s such a hard thing. The best MCs can put the listener into the room, Chevy puts me into the room and I know what’s going on. He’s picking every little setting of the room and what’s happening in that setting.
Chevy Woods: I appreciate that brother, because that’s what I aim for real. I’m not gonna lie. I want to give people a feeling of themselves in me. When they listen to my music, it’s a reflection. If I give you the message, then you may be going through these things. If I give you an album of things that’s content-driven and topics, then it’s helping somebody in the world. That’s what I go for. I can go for singles and do that s### all day long, make the biggest blah blah blah.
But what is the message? What’re you trying to tell people? What’re you trying to get across? How are you trying to make people feel and think? It’s not just going into rap for me, it’s never been that. Maybe the first two years way back when, I was trying to show off. But after that, yo this has a real meaning because it’s grabbing people. Now I gotta watch and pay attention to what I need to say to the people, and what I need them to hear.
Were you on tour with Wiz and Snoop this past summer?
Chevy Woods: I was, it was crazy. Wiz, Snoop, Berner, Too Short, Warren G.
What was the highlight?
Chevy Woods: We’re friends with Snoop. For me, I seen this commanding energy that wasn’t aggressive. Not to us, but even to his team. “Go do this, or I need this.” His camaraderie really helped that run smoothly. Of course, he grew up with Warren G, Too Short, and everybody. But his kids love Wiz, and he ended up loving us. We’re in his gaming community, with the Gangsta Gaming League that he does. All of that stuff was easy and family going.
Then you got Berner. Berner’s the first person I’ve seen bring his f###### weed plant on the tour bus, and grow it. All that stuff was meshed in one. It was really a family vibe. The way that Snoop brings everybody together, that’s what that’ll do. This brings everybody together as well. You combine those two, you win.
How much weed was smoked on tour?
Chevy Woods: Too much. There’s lot of times, I left the room. You know what? I’m good bro. How much higher can you be? I’m cool alright. Go to sleep now.
Every time I’m around y’all, it’s spark up. Spark up. Spark up. It never ends.
Chevy Woods: The funny thing is you won’t see me do that. I do smoke my weed but once they get to doing that, you know? I’m cool. [laughs]
Anything else you guys are excited for?
Chevy Woods: I’ve been writing country songs lately. I really want to tell people: music is music. But there’s so many different genres and so many different ways you can go with it. You have to find what you love, what you like. I like storytelling. Once I started writing the country music, this is perfect. I don’t gotta do punchlines. I can tell the story, build it up start to beginning. Give people more of a feeling in the music. I know you get feeling from rap music, but country music, R&B is emotional. Emotionally driven. The country music that I’m writing is some s###.
Gromo: That’s so sick. I’m ready for some Chevy country for real.
Chevy Woods: Yeah man, I got you. I’ve been back and forth to Nashville with writers. Doing certain stuff on the low, preparing myself for what I think is going to be a good thing.
Gromo: Right now, it’s kind of the same. I’m really going to start tapping into my rock background. I used to play guitar for 10 years before I got into DJing and production, so I’m getting back into that. After 10 years of producing other artists, now I’m going to force myself to become the artist. Write the lyrics and perform on my tracks. Because certain parts of my story, it’s hard. You can’t always give it to other people. I have to tell this story.
Right now, I’m working on developing my next project. Do some more band music, get back to my roots but then still have it be very much heavy bass within distortion and all that. Synths, guitars, and crazy vibes. I miss in the late 90’s when you had metal bands combining Hip Hop. Limp Bizkit collaborating with Method Man, Ice Cube with Korn, that type of stuff. I miss that. I want to bring back that energy.
Chevy Woods: I love that. Blink 182 and Jay Z, I love that.
It’s tough to determine if this is a major L or W for popular streamer Adin Ross, but I’m sure someone from Kanye West or Travis Scott’s team will be in touch with him soon.
If you were late or missed his recent Kick stream, Ross claims he purchased one of the first Artificial Intelligence-generated songs years ago while attempting to buy an unreleased Kanye West and Travis Scott record. In addition to confirming he spent $200,000 on the track, Ross claims the purchase was made years ago when he was just a “young kid” getting to the money. Either way, this might be the biggest finesse since Ghostwriter’s fake Drake and The Weeknd song went viral this summer.
While it’s unclear why Ross was convinced that a $200,000 investment into a song he owned no rights to, it’s no secret he’s consistently burning through money for no reason. He allegedly just lost a $10 million real estate bidding war to Inter Miami’s internationally renowned player, Lionel Messi.
Check out the full breakdown of the incident and peep the snippet of the unreleased jam in the video clip below.
Adin Ross reveals when he first started getting money, he spent $200k on a Kanye x Travis “leak” that turned out to be AI 😭 pic.twitter.com/jvShagKWcM
