Diddy denied paying Sting $5,000 a day for sampling The Police’s song “Every Breath You Take” on Friday (April 7).
The Bad Boy Records founder said he was joking when he tweeted about Sting on Tuesday (April 5). Diddy felt the need to clear the air after his Twitter post received lots of media coverage.
“I want y’all to understand I was joking!” he wrote. “It’s called being Facetious! Me and @OfficialSting have been friends for a long time! He never charged me $3K or $5K a day for Missing You. He probably makes more than $5K a day from one of the biggest songs in history.”
I want y’all to understand I was joking! It’s called being Facetious! Me and @OfficialSting have been friends for a long time! He never charged me $3K or $5K a day for Missing You. He probably makes more than $5K a day from one of the biggest songs in history.
Diddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You” famously sampled The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” which Sting sang and wrote. “I’ll Be Missing You” was released as a tribute to the late Notorious B.I.G. in 1997.
Payment for the sample became a topic on social media when a Twitter account called Black Millionaires shared a clip from Sting’s 2018 appearance on The Breakfast Club. Charlamagne Tha God asked Sting to confirm if Diddy had to pay $2,000 a day for sampling “Every Breath You Take.”
“Yeah,” Sting responded sarcastically. “For the rest of his life.”
Diddy retweeted the clip in jest, suggesting it was actually $5,000.
Boo Rossini lived and nearly died by the code, surviving rap beef and more as an official member of Young Jeezy’s CTE movement
Today Mississippi trap music artist Boo Rossini returns with a new project, the Chances Make Champions Gold Medal Edition Deluxe Box Set. Honoring the statute of limitations within the streets and ignoring the state’s legal requests, Boo Rossini lived and nearly died by code, surviving rap beef, shootouts, and more as an official member of Young Jeezy’s CTE movement. Somehow throughout it all, Rossini was able to come back home to his family repeatedly, and now he’s adding new chapters to a book with endless stories.
Choosing to leave the past behind, but remembering where he came from Boo Rossini is recognizing his blessings and remaining thankful to be alive to tell his story on his new project Chances Make Champions. Sharing the ups and downs of his career on his new project Rossini brings to life some of the realest moments of his career for an auditory event filled with drama, tragedy, and triumph.
Also included in the box set are all of Boo Rossini’s previous mixtapes, which are not available for streaming services, including a Gangsta Grillz project with DJ Drama, projects with DJ Scream and songs with artists like Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Yo Gotti and Bone Thugs and Harmony.
“Yeah, I just wanted to give ’em something more than just the album, you know what I’m saying? I wanted to give ’em like a collector item. I was just thinking it could be a box set, so with the box, I was thinking outside the box, you know what I’m saying?” “I put together a box of merch, decals, speakers, and a Manifestation Journal. and My Catalog. I created something for the everyday people. So like, you know, when they see it on the shelf, it could remind them like, this for the risk takers, the ones that wasn’t scared to take that leap. Rossini said. “
I wanted to make sure that fans are part of the movement, like as far as the chance to make Champion. Cause you know, it apply to not just artists, you know, it apply to everyday people that are willing to take that risk. Willing to take that chance, you know what I’m saying? And it takes a lot to do that, for people to step outside their comfort zone.”
As the first person to bring a Lamborghini through the hood in Jackson, Mississippi, Boo Rossini remains proud of his state and where he’s from, despite the outside perception and the struggles within his own community with issues like clean drinking water and an unjust, and corrupt prison system needing reform.
“I think the perception of Mississippi, when they do hear about it, is it’s not good. The conception of Mississippi is that it’s a poor state, you know, it’s still a racist state, you know what I’m saying? It’s a Republican State and it’s almost like we’re still on the plantation. And, yeah a lot of that is true, you know what I’m saying? It’s a poverty state, one of the poorest states in America, you know what I’m saying? Got a lot of gun violence, limited education, limited opportunity, you know, uh, it’s, it’s one of those states. It’s one of the last states to free slaves, you know what I’m saying? But it’s my home and I’m doing a lot in the community to make it better and speaking out for change.”
Knowing the state of his community’s circumstances at home, Rossini has done what he could to improve his community. He recently built a 40 Luxury Loft with Rooftop Sky Lounge and Upscale Restarant called TRIO.
“I’m a progressive thinker, so my thing was, even when I went back home or, started deciding to put my business and plant my roots back home, my thing was to give them something that they wasn’t getting from anywhere else. Like they had to go out of town to get. So I started bringing certain ideas and concepts back home that I would see other places.”
Recently signing rapper QBG and 6Merta, Rossini has plans to develop artists in his area that live up to the code he demands of those around him.
“We had a song that was really buzzing in the city. And I just like the way they moved, man, it just reminded me how we used to move in these streets. They forward thinkers and they get it, you know what I’m saying? They’re not hardheaded. You know how certain people, you give ’em the information, they don’t do anything with it. These guys are different. Yeah. So personally, I just want to give ’em my resources, bring them in, and let ’em know, as far as like planning, plotting, and strategizing. I’m going to put my team with them and try to develop them.”
It’s clear Boo Rossini has plans to give back to his state after having his time to shine. There are bigger issues than rap; maybe the music can change things. Maybe he can have his impact, regardless of current affairs.
“As far as Mississippi goes, we still dealing with a water crisis, high murder rates, new Jim Crow lLaws and we still fighting for prison reform out here, you know what I’m saying? So we still dealing with that sh*t out here, I’m just thinking about certain s### like that’s going on in real- time.”
Houston police identified one suspect in the fatal shooting of rapper BTB Savage.
Police announced Montrel Lenard Burley is wanted for murder on Friday (April 7). Cops are searching for the 40-year-old man and at least one other suspect.
BTB Savage, whose real name was Darrell Gentry, was shot and killed in Houston on March 30. Paramedics pronounced the 26-year-old rapper dead at the scene. Witnesses told police two suspects fled the shooting in a black SUV.
The late rapper’s family believes his death was retaliation for a deadly shooting in San Antonio. Earlier this year, a man named Omar Richardson allegedly tried to rob BTB Savage.
BTB Savage’s girlfriend allegedly shot and killed Richardson in self-defense. The rapper boasted about the incident on social media and discussed it in an interview with Vlad TV.
“I said take that off social media,” BTB Savage’s mother Bernita Ward told ABC 13. “Let this family mourn in peace. They were taunting my son, though, telling him they were going to kill the family, make his momma cry and kill his son. I told my son, ‘Don’t respond. Let it go.’ But their family member came to rob my son.”
She added, “The moral of this story is two mothers lost two amazing sons and that their children would be raised without fathers. That’s the sad thing.”
Police asked anyone with information about BTB Savage’s death to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
Holiday season!” Once you hear this tag, you immediately know the song is a banger. Based in Atlanta and best known for his contributions to the mixtape era, DJ Holiday has played a crucial role in the rise of endless greats in the rap game. Now, he returns with his newest single titled “No Stress,” tapping Wiz Khalifa and O.T. Genasis, releasing via trac distribution.
Speaking on how the song came to fruition, Holiday states, “I had the beat for a minute from this new producer, YS on the beat from Jersey. I listened to that beat for weeks but didn’t know what to do with it! The flute on it had me mesmerized, just didn’t know who to give it to.”
Of course, getting two superstars on one track is no easy feat. But Holiday’s relationships and tenure in hip-hop has allowed him to work with the best of the best.
https://ffm.to/djholidaynostress
“O.T. has always been one of my favorites, and I always told him we was gon’ get one in every time he came to Atlanta,” Holiday states. “So I sent him the beat, he destroyed the hook, and I thought it was instant heat. It was definitely giving me a ‘Push It’ and “Cut It’ vibes.” Only thing missing was my Pittsburgh big dog, Wiz Khalifa!! His fanbase is next level, and they always showed me love from ‘Cabin Fever 2’ days, so I thought it was only right knowing how big this record could possibly be to put him on it! ‘No Stress’ was born from there.”
“No Stress” is for anyone who’s stressed out and needs a pick-me-up because you know it could be worse! Holiday wants fans to turn this on when that Cashapp or direct deposit that they’ve really been needing comes in.
Regardless, it’s Holiday Season!
“No Stress” follows the release of his previous single, “2 Seater,” featuring Quavo & 21 Savage.
Jim Jones scoffed at ranking Pusha T as one of the best rappers of all time.
The Dipset member debated Pusha T’s spot on Billboard’s list of the 50 greatest rappers during an appearance on Spotify’s RapCaviar podcast. Jim Jones downplayed the Clipse artist by questioning Pusha T’s impact and influence.
“What has [Pusha T] done that puts him in the greatest rappers of all time besides talk about coke that he probably didn’t get himself?” Jim Jones asked. “He’s nice! He’s nice as s###. He could rap his ass off, but what has he done?”
He continued, “Nobody has dressed liked him. Nobody want to be like Pusha T. I don’t remember nothing. And let’s not be evil, but we don’t talk about rap where the n#### that’s popping, the b###### wanna f### and the n##### wanna be like. I don’t know too many n##### in this game that was leaning towards being like Pusha T.”
Jim Jones saw no reason for Pusha T to be in the Top 50. The Diplomats rhymer even mentioned Big Sean as someone who’s better than King Push.
“Pusha T don’t hold no weight out here,” he said. “He’s not pushing no s### out here. I would put Big Sean before Pusha T … Bro, you go in these clubs, I don’t know no records they play in the club with Pusha T. They don’t play his s### outside.”
Listen to more of Jim Jones’ unfiltered thoughts on the AllHipHop podcast.
Curren$y’s 2021 song “Jermaine Dupri” sparked a special relationship with its namesake.
Jermaine Dupri made an undeniable impact in the music industry, but he was still surprised to see someone name a track after him. He eventually linked up with Curren$y, which led to a collaboration between the two.
Both men quickly realized how similar they are. JD told AllHipHop they are basically “the same guy” except for smoking weed.
Curren$y originally hoped to get one beat from Jermaine Dupri when they connected in the studio. Instead, Spitta found himself creating multiple projects with JD.
Fans heard the first batch of music when Jermaine Dupri and Curren$y dropped For Motivational Use Only Vol. 1 on April 4. AllHipHop caught up with the duo to discuss the collaboration, the current music scenes in Atlanta and New Orleans, the legacy of So So Def Recordings and much more.
AllHipHop: JD, what was your reaction when you first heard Curren$y’s “Jermaine Dupri” song?
Jermaine Dupri: I had a bunch of different emotions. I was shocked. I also was like, “Why?” I was excited about it. Because out of all of things that a person could do, they made a song and titled the song after me. That’s pretty crazy. So, it’s a bunch of different emotions.
AllHipHop: Curren$y, when was the first time JD reached out to you about it and how does that evolve into y’all collaborating?
Curren$y: Man, I think a day or two after I dropped [it], the second day or maybe the day I dropped the video, I feel like I hadn’t shot that video knowing that this was going to happen. I feel like I shot the video before he reached out. So, once it dropped and he was like, “Yo, let’s line up and do a record,” I was just grateful to be pulling up to do a record because I don’t mean a record, like the whole project. I really was just going to hang out with him and try to get a beat, one beat, and then possibly build my career-defining album with one Jermaine Dupri beat. But instead, we hung out and we’ve created volumes of career-defining music.
AllHipHop: What was that like for you two where – like you said Curren$y – you were expecting just one beat, but y’all obviously clicked and it turned into a whole collaboration of multiple projects?
Curren$y: We were f###### double dragons, man. We just was like, “Oh, you like this? You watch these movies? You do this? Great.” So, I wasn’t in a rush to go back home and break out my cars and action figures because this dude had all of that same s### at his studio. There’s five-foot stormtroopers and s### in the sound booth with you. So, I wasn’t in a rush to leave. He created a space that you wouldn’t want to leave and then it doesn’t even feel like work.
AllHipHop: What about you, JD? What was your perspective on working with Spitta?
Jermaine Dupri: Yeah, pretty much the same. We’re kind of like the same guy, but the only difference is he smoke weed. If I smoked, we’d be the same person, damn near probably. And we started talking about that type of stuff. And he’s taking pictures of things that’s in the studio so he could take them back to his son, Stormtroopers and Star Wars [stuff]. We just started having conversations about a bunch of things that we have in common and that just leads to the right energy in the studio.
AllHipHop: When y’all were making these projects, For Motivational Use Only, did y’all imagine this as an album first or did you always picture it as multiple volumes of EPs?
Jermaine Dupri: We never talked about it.
Curren$y: Yeah, we didn’t know what we were doing. We were just making songs. We were hanging out, but in the process of hanging out, like he said, if we both smoked weed, then that’s probably what we would’ve did. But the fact that he didn’t smoke weed is like, “Well, what else we going to do, my n####? We might as well make songs. We got everything else in common. What can we do?” And we just keep doing music. Otherwise, we’re just sitting around watching movies and we both would probably rather watch movies with girls. So, we had to put work into it and make it make sense.
AllHipHop: JD, you’ve worked with so many artists over the years. How did Curren$y differ from other artists and what were your expectations going into working with him?
Jermaine Dupri: It’s actually not as much work for me because he writing all of his songs, he writing all what he wants to write about and this, that and the third. I get to sit back and watch him take what I present to him and what that makes him do, and then we collectively come together and finish it off. So, it’s almost a simpler thing, but it’s a fun simple. It’s a fun sit-back-and-watch type of situation. I still got to make my beats and do what I got to do, but once that’s done, we have this pass-off situation and we don’t talk about what type of song we’re going to make or nothing…
AllHipHop: Spitta, was that something different for you in terms of your process when you’re working with other producers? Was there something that JD brought that you hadn’t seen before or expected?
Curren$y: Just his presence. He is who he is, so you know what time it is. It’s like when m############ get drafted and then your first game, your teammate is Michael Jordan. And then he passes you the ball and you’re wide open. It’s like, “OK, if I miss, he’s never going to pass me the ball again, possibly tell Phil Jackson to get rid of me.” So, you just make sure you nail it.
AllHipHop: JD, this year you’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of So So Def. What does that mean to you? And when you look back, what do you feel is the legacy of So So Def?
Jermaine Dupri: It means everything because when you start a record company at the age that I started, you don’t actually believe that it’s going to even be around a year. You know what I mean? So to be around for 30 years, it sounds really pretty impossible to me. That’s one part. Then to be able to actually look at the industry today, 30 years later, and see all of my artists and see what each one of the artists did, it means a lot to me. Because none of my artists was signed to somewhere else before. Everybody that I put out was brand new from scratch. The idea that I basically was like, “I think you could be an artist. I think you should be an artist,” or somebody that came to me was an artist and I put them out.
So to see that they still living in this space, even with all of the noise that Xscape is making, it’s still my group. Regardless of whatever’s going on the internet and how much they got the internet going crazy, the world only knows about Xscape from me. So, just to see that in the modern world, these people that I brought to life is pretty exciting.
AllHipHop: Curren$y, I’m wondering about your viewpoint on So So Def. Is there something that you’ve learned watching from afar and from getting to work with JD when it comes to Jet Life?
Curren$y: Yeah, Jet Life has had a billboard. We put a billboard downtown in New Orleans in a prominent area that people always had to see when they came into the city. And that’s a page that I stole directly from the So So Def handbook of making sure m############ know that you’re a force in the city. And even if they don’t know about you, the fact that they knew about the city enough to travel to it, they need to find out what the f### you are because you’re welcoming them to the city. So, who are you? And I learned that from them flat out. That s### was as big as the Olympic torch that you saw from the freeway too. They were the same thing to me.
AllHipHop: Speaking of having that presence in New Orleans, lately you’re a staple at Pelicans games. A few years ago, you bought Bud’s Broiler’s old location. What does it mean to you to have that impact and be so defined with New Orleans now?
Curren$y: It’s the world to me because things that meant a lot to me, that shaped me. I went to that burger spot my whole life. When I started low-riding, that was one of the best spots to park the car and take pictures of. The Jet Life store is in the spot where we used to park. It was an old school building, an old university administration building. They weren’t using it, but the lighting around that building was so good and it was right on Canal Street. We always parked the low-riders right in front of that. So, I end up getting the spot. That’s what my whole life is about. Kind of preserving the things that I think are dope because I’m sure other people would think so too. So, with my city, that’s for sure what I’ve been about. The stuff that matters to me, I’m trying to hold onto it for the next one who’s coming up that it could impact them in a way.
AllHipHop: JD, what has it been like for you to be so intrinsically part of what the world sees as Atlanta? And what’s your view of Atlanta’s current scene today?
Jermaine Dupri: I didn’t do the Atlanta thing by a design. I feel like it just happened to be time, basically. I was fortunate to be the first of a lot of things in the city and fortunate to be at the beginning of the start of a lot of things that happened in the city but that’s just based on time. It wasn’t something that I designed. But the way the city is now, I love the growth of the city. But I feel like musically, we have declined from what it was in my era of coming up. The pool is not that big anymore. The artistry is not there as much as it used to be. And it needs to get back to that. Kids need to get back to being creative and not being scared to do what the music makes them want to do.
AllHipHop: Is there anybody you see now that you feel like is getting creative and is taking that challenge? Or you’re waiting to be impressed?
Jermaine Dupri: Yeah, I’m waiting. I’m waiting to see if what I’m saying happens because normally, what I’m saying usually happens. Whether it’s from me or somebody else that’s just in the universe. And the universe is probably telling me to say this because there’s somebody that’s getting ready to come out that’s in that space. I hope that’s what happens.
AllHipHop: Now, I’m wondering, Curren$y, if you’re seeing anything like that in New Orleans. Do you see a new star in the making? Is there someone maybe on Jet Life right now? I know you got a few artists that have been coming in, but what are you thinking about the future of New Orleans?
Curren$y: On the whole, I’m excited for my label. Actually, because you speak to people on the label, and Fendi [P] been working for a long time, but I feel like his hard work is probably just about the cash-in. People have grown accustomed to the style of music that he make because the artists that are on Jet Life, they don’t rap like me. We don’t make the same styles of music. So, the group of listeners that they are grandfathered into is, they have to win them over. They got to show them what they do, but my listeners are receptive. So, I think that they’re all going to see the fruits of they labor, as far as that go.
But in the city on the whole outside of us, artists like Rob49 and Neno Calvin and them, they’re people who I follow their moves and I like what they’re doing. And we’ve always been hands-on and down to bust moves with them through they rise anyway. So, it’s kind of like we’re all in the same thing.
AllHipHop: In terms of your career, I think one of the most impressive things about your longevity is just your ability to adapt. From the No Limit days to Cash Money to your independent success, what do you credit that ability to adapt to?
Curren$y: Just how much I love my family and I want to be able to make s### happen for them. A lady would pick a car up off her baby, so I’m going to figure out how to make this s### work for my mom and dad and s###. That’s all. You got to adapt. You hear it in raps all the time. I hear it. I feel like in Young Jeezy’s voice, but I don’t know who said it: hustlers adapt. I’ve heard that. You know what I’m saying? It’s just you picturing it a different way. It’s not about the price of the brakes going up, it’s just that it went from CDs to clicks and s### like that. The drug has changed and you need to know how to sling that s### every time.
AllHipHop: You saw the change from CDs to streaming. You were right at the height of the blog era. Did you feel like you played a big role in that need to constantly feed the audience?
Curren$y: I think I inspired a gang of millionaires, at this point. There’s a lot of artists who – and they give it up to me. They tell me. And they say it in interviews sometimes and s### too. I pretty much showed them you could just be yourself and, if you put the work in, people will gravitate to it. And people will be your best street team because when you find something, you want to tell your homies and s###. Like, “Yo, check this out,” because it’s dope and that’s how s### grew. That’s how a lot of us have grown after me. If you became a millionaire because you had records on SoundCloud, I essentially designed how that goes. Without even trying, that’s what’s up.
AllHipHop: JD, these projects with Curren$y – is there something to prove? Is it something to just remind people of your greatness? Do you view them in that way at all?
Jermaine Dupri: It is a reminder to let people know that I started out – my first record was a rap record. My first group that I put out was a rap group. So, I do think that a lot of times people lose sight that the first time you heard Jermaine Dupri was through a rap group called Kris Kross. Jermaine Dupri’s first album, first single was with him and Jay-Z. I don’t think people actually be paying attention to how rap I am.
So, that is a reminder to remind you of how Hip-Hop I am because in the press, everybody starts talking about Mariah Carey, which you should. And you start talking about Usher, which you should, and all of these people. And then they lose sight of how much Hip-Hop I actually have in me and how Hip-Hop I am. So, I think all of this, the performance, we got our first show on the 7th. And I feel like the way we’re talking about doing the show is all a reminder to everyone from my side that this is what I actually do. The other stuff that y’all hear from me is the stuff that I’ve learned from this that I actually do.
AllHipHop: I saw you were talking about working on a Freaknik documentary. I’m wondering, what’s the process of that, how far along is that and when could people expect to maybe see that?
Jermaine Dupri: Yeah, it’s almost done. It’s coming out on Hulu. We got a little bit more filming to do, but it’s pretty close. It’s trying to make sure we can make those that didn’t attend Freaknik feel the energy through the screen.
AllHipHop: I’m excited to see that. I really appreciate y’all taking the time to speak with me. Anything you want to make sure people know about For Motivational Use Only?
Jermaine Dupri: Yeah. Like I said, I want to say this, we are having our first show because people keep asking if there’s going to be a tour … The first show is on April 7 in Atlanta. Fly down, come see what’s happening. By the way, because I say the show that’s going to be in Atlanta will probably be, I won’t say the most special. But since we have our special guests on the album, they’ll more likely come to that show than an L.A. show or one of these other shows. So, come check this out.
On Thursday, April 6, Strong Island rapper Frenchie was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted by a jury on charges including three counts of first-degree burglary, a violent felony, and one count of second-degree burglary, a violent felony. The 37-year-old recording artist, whose real name is Gregg Hogan, will also serve five years of post-supervision after incarceration, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
According to Patch.com, Frenchie, 37, and three other men, Donte Thomas, 24, Hakim Muhammad, 20, and Miguel Ruiz, 29, kicked in the front door of a Shirley family to rob them. Armed with guns, the robbers thought the home was a cannabis and money stash house.
They were wrong. Instead of the residence being a trap house, it was the home for a mother, father, and autistic teenage son— all asleep during the home invasion.
The most vicious aspect of the story, according to DA Tierney was that when the men told the family to lie on the ground face down, and the 18-year-old did not listen, one of the men pistol-whipped him. The small child sustained facial cuts and bruises as a result.
The pistol-whipping of an innocent autistic young man in a failed home invasion is among the most outrageous crimes we have prosecuted. Hopefully, this defendant’s conviction and significant prison sentence provides the victims with some sense of relief and security,” said the DA.
The prosecution argued Frenchie not only broke into the house but served as the getaway driver.
The defense had a different story.
His attorney Anthony Scheller said, “He was sitting in the car.”
“I argued to [Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei] that he didn’t tie anyone up, he didn’t have a gun, he didn’t pistol whip anybody,” Scheller said after the sentencing.
Scheller hinted that his client is looking to appeal.
Dave East is known as a hardcore rapper….BUT…even hard rocks can take a stumble. Apparently Dave East, the Harlem Crip, has taken a liking to scooters. You know those scooters that are all over every city in America, but New York? Yep! He tried to ride them on several occasions and posted two of them. Check them out!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CquE5uotSyT/?hl=en
The commentary on this vid sucks but it has Dave falling again.
Nym Lo is here to make sure real hip-hop is alive and kicking. Hailing from Harlem, New York, the East Coast spitter calls himself the Big Horse, which derives from him rocking nothing but Polo by Ralph Lauren for the past 15 years. And since nobody does it bigger than him, he’s the Biggest Horse.
In describing himself, Lo states, “It’s really simple, I’m a real Harlem n*gga. Word, B. That’s the end all be all right there. That’s everything you need to know and nothing you need to know. [laughs]”
A true student of the game, Lo’s sound harkens back to the golden era of hip-hop, equipped with relentless bars, a spitfire flow, endless wordplay and metaphors, and an ear for regal beats. Nym Lo doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk, and he’s here to inspire and motivate the masses to go out and get theirs also. Lo has already shown that he has staying power with an ever-expanding fanbase both in the Tri-State area, and across the globe.
Today, Nym Lo unleashes his highly-anticipated project titled From The Horse’s Mouth, clocking in at 9 tracks with features from Dave East, Curren$y, Rome Streetz, Bun B, Planet Asia, and Termanology.
AllHipHop caught up with Nym Lo to discuss what Harlem means to him, his biggest influences, the turning point in his music career, the new project, working with Statik Selektah, goals, and more!
AllHipHop: What was it like growing up in Harlem?
Nym Lo: Being from Harlem is everything. It’s a certain aura that we grow up with, it’s definitely cash-inspired. When you talk about the legends of Harlem, they’re pretty much all get money n*ggas for the most part. The folklore is always attached to the young, rich, fly n*ggas, so we move through life like that, with that mindset.
AllHipHop: Biggest influences coming up?
Nym Lo: Coming up, I was listening to Big, Foxy, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang. When I got a little older, once I started getting to my teenage years I was listening to Cam’ron and Mase. They were holding it down for the town. Bad Boy, Ruff Ryders, DMX, rest in peace to the dog. Especially in my area where I was from, Ruff Ryders had a little grip on our area. We used to always see Dee, Waah, X, and Drag-On. They used to be posted in Harlem by the parking lot on 121st and Saint Nick so we got to see that superstardom and that rap money up close. It was dope, battling out there and all that s###.
AllHipHop: When did you realize you could do music for a living?
Nym Lo: Probably a few years ago. 2019 is when I really put my mind to it like “yo, this is what I want to do for a living.” Prior to that, I had always been efficient with my pen. I started when I was young, just writing and writing. As I got older, sharpening my sword with other n*ggas around my hood, I realized my s### was top tier. So now, I decided to be serious with it and it’s paying off.
AllHipHop: New album From The Horse’s Mouth out now, what’re you most excited for?
Nym Lo: I’m excited to get this to the people. We was in the lab cooking from scratch day in and day out, crafting this sound and the biggest payoff for me is to finally take it out the vault!
AllHipHop: What’s the meaning behind the title?
Nym Lo: I used the phrase “From The Horse’s Mouth” because it represents personal authenticity. Like when u want to let someone know that what ur saying is the real deal, and that can only come from you. You would use that phrase. So I’m letting everyone know that what you hearing — ain’t no he say she say, ain’t no rumors, and you can’t get this sound and feel nowhere else. You can only get this straight From The Horse’s Mouth. The Big Horse!
AllHipHop: Favorite song and why?
Nym Lo: My favorite song is a tie between “Palawan Don” and “Exuma Island.” On separate occasions, I had just come back from vacation at both destinations and I recorded those songs. And there’s something about being in another country, balling out and having fun that inspires me like nothing else does. When I bring my most personal experiences to the people, it can never be replicated.
AllHipHop: How’d you and Dave East tap in on “I Love The Game”?
Nym Lo: Ahh man, East is family. We did our first song back in 2015 when I was still double dutching with this rap s### and he was on his way to stardom. He always been a phone call away for me so it only made sense for me to include him on my biggest project to date. I told him what I had going and he told me “meet him at Quad.” Knocked it out right there: pen, pad and shiesty on. [laughs]
AllHipHop: Best memory from shooting that video?
Nym Lo: I shot it right on Money Ave., the block that I grew up on, in front of the store I used to always go to as a kid. We called it the Greeks. The whole building is abandoned now, but we parked the old school E30 Bimmer in front of it on the sidewalk. Popped the champagne and did what we love to do. S### was fun!
AllHipHop: How important are visuals to you and your artistry?
Nym Lo: They’re very important, especially for somebody like me. Even though I’ve been doing it for a while, I’m still a new artist. I’m just now taking it seriously, honing in on my craft and putting out musically consistently. The heightened visibility the visuals bring me is necessary, not only to be taken seriously but also so people can see me. I’m a visual guy. I like to put on fly s###, I like to look good and people like to see me looking good too. That plays a major role in everything I’m doing. I’m selling this lifestyle. You gotta see the lifestyle in order to appreciate it.
AllHipHop: Do you feel like it’s hard in this day and age to make real substance music?
Nym Lo: Actually, it’s the perfect time because the game always has its shifts. Right now, it’s shifting back toward that. Everybody gets their turn and it’s coming back to that right now. To even be able to be in that conversation when people talk about real hip-hop and artists that really do it, that’s already a win for me. It’s very easy because it’s what comes naturally. When I get on these beats and talk my s###, I ain’t really doing nothing but being myself. Authenticity is easy.
AllHipHop: You called Statik the “DJ Khaled of the game.” What’s your relationship with Statik Selektah?
Nym Lo: Statik’s my boy, that’s my bro. I definitely feel like that. The hip hop purists, they love Statik. Rightfully so, he puts in an amazing amount of work. That last project he dropped The Balancing Act, the solo joint, you get to see his reach. You can see his f###### range, and not too many people can do that. I felt it’d be the smartest thing to connect with him and try to continually level up.
Also to bring some validity to what I’m doing from a fan’s perspective. I keep reiterating to take me seriously because for so long, I bullshited. One foot in, one foot out. Chasing the money and not chasing the game when I was supposed to be, when I should have been. There’s nothing I could do better than what I feel like is my God-given talent, then be paid to do it. It took me a minute to smarten up, but better late than never.
AllHipHop: What’s the vibe with you and Statik in the studio?
Nym Lo: Real hip-hop. We’ll go in there, he’ll be like, “What you want to do? You want to listen to some beats?” I might feel like listening to some beats or I might say “nah, I want you to cook that s### from scratch.” He’ll go through the rolodex of his vinyl records, throw some s### on a f###### record player. He’ll pull the samples and he’ll cook right there. While he’s cooking, I’ll start cooking. S#### like hibachi.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite collaboration from this album that you’ve done?
Nym Lo: My favorite collaboration gotta be “Ice Jackets” because I love when spitters get together and trade bars. And that was literally the first time i ever rapped on a Statik beat. Termanology hit me and told me pull up to his stu in BK so we could work and i did. His stu is a couple doors down from Statik’s stu so the whole spot is like a hub for artists. And we all was going back and forth working and listening to whatever was going on. I wound up in Statik stu and he was playing beats and he played the instrumental that later became “Ice Jackets” and my wheels started turning. So i asked him could i lay some s### on the beat and he was like yea go head. When i was done Term and Planet Asia walked in and said it was dope and they wanted to get busy too. Then Statik sent it to Bun and the rest is history. So that was actually the first song i ever recorded for this album, before i ever knew it was gonna even be an album lol.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio at all times?
Nym Lo: Champagne, my phone, and Lo. Like Polo. [laughs]
AllHipHop: Do you have any goals for yourself?
Nym Lo: One is to be acknowledged by the people as the best at what i do. Two is to expand my reach through the success of my music and be able to work with some legendary artists and producers that’s on my bucket list. Three is that Wraith, I need that next year. Straight off rap money, just so we clear lol.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let the people know?
Peace and Power Media recently announced Kitchen Sessions 2.0, an innovative music experience by JP Reynolds. The independent national tour features intimate performances of songs from Rap Gumbo (2019) and Soul Raps (2022) in the homes of fans.
JP Reynolds will also be sharing an exclusive preview of his upcoming album Peace and Power Planet.
“Going from kitchen to kitchen allows for intimacy in a way that allows me to truly connect with fans,” said JP Reynolds. “I chose to perform specifically in kitchens because, for me and for my culture, they’re sacred spaces of creativity and imagination. I’m really grateful to be invited into people’s homes to share my music.”
The tour spotlights a black-owned spirit, the award-winning Ten to One Rum. The contemporary and elevated blend reinvigorates the way people experience rum and compliments the exceptional vibes of JP Reynolds’ music style, which challenges expectations of Hip-Hop.
Slated for 9 dates this spring, the tour is driven by super supporters who host their invited guests to experience the in-home session presented by JP Reynolds. Kitchen Sessions 2.0 hits New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
For more information and to find out how to gain access to these exclusive events, visit JP’s website and join his weekly newsletter.
JP Reynolds is a music artist creating rap gumbo, a powerful blend of jazz, funk, gospel, and soul. After meaningful post-college experiences in ministry and education, JP’s continuously-unfolding creative path as a rapper, poet, songwriter, and performer propelled him into a world of professional design, consulting, and strategy.
In 2021, JP also joined his family’s business as Chief Content Officer of ALN Productions, a multimedia company developing films, documentaries, television, and short-form content. He holds a B.A. in African-American Studies and an M.D##. from Yale University.
Jim Jones recently named Drake the greatest rapper of all time and he’s not changing his mind anytime soon, in fact, he’s doubling down on his claim.
The NYC icon was asked about the subject during an appearance on The Amazing AllHipHop.com Podcast. The hosts, Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur and DJ Thoro couldn’t help but ask Jim Jones about his comments that places Drake as Hip-Hop’s G.O.A.T.
Jim Jones describes Drake coming out to the Apollo as a huge moment for the Dipset.
“To co-headline at the Apollo with him was even more ridiculous,” the Harlem rapper remarked, recalling how they removed all the seats from the historic landmark.
“I’m a fan of Drake I could say the wholeheartedly,” Jim Jones continued. “Like my spirit animal … I f##k with how the boy move out here. I f##k with his music wholeheartedly … and you know and for him to give us our flowers for the person he is … that it’s kind of bring it all right to fruition.”
DJ Thoro addressed how the admiration is mutual. Drake said at the concert that he used to want to dress like the Dipset as a kid.
“It’s all a family connection. That’s Young Money and Dipset. You know, Cash Money and Dipset. We been a family. We been tied in,” the rapper said.
He also talked about how the OVO leader didn’t have to come and rock with them on the special night, nodding to his star power and ability to “sell out the whole New York City.”
Creekmur asked, “How come Drake’s not on [the new project]?”
Jim Jones said that is ok … it is on his “bucket list” … saying “It’s not out of the box.”
Multi-Grammy award-winning rapper Nelly is breaking into the adult beverage industry with his spirit brand, MoShine. The “Country Grammar” chart-topper joins artist-turned-mogul like Sean “Diddy” Combs, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.
Announced via a news release, the spirit, which is a triple-distilled moonshine, promises to blend two of his worlds: Hip-Hop and Country music. The name for the brand nods at his home state of Missouri’s abbreviation, MO.
“I’m taking a country tradition and mixing it up for everyone to enjoy,” the rapper says about the venture.
The St. Louis rapper partnered with the award-winning Piedmont Distillers.
According to the release, MoShine will have two flavors: peach and passion fruit.
Nelly’s signature drink that he makes with the Peach version of the beverage mixed with Red Bull. This drink he calls “the Fix.”
He continued about the product, “Where I come from, we work hard and play harder, and I want my fans to be able to reach for MoShine anytime they’re ready to get the party started.”
MoShine is now available to order online at DrinkMoShine.com.
The main complaint about the new era of Hip-Hop is a distinct lack of creativity and substance. Yet one just has to have their ear to the ground to know there is a sizable contingent carrying the torch for intricate wordplay and sample-based beats. One such crusader fighting the good fight is Port Huron emcee Substance810.
As he puts it, “The name is literal. I’m bringing real substance. I’m giving listeners me on every song, with every word. I feel it’s my responsibility to be as transparent as possible.” 810 is the area code for East Central Michigan, added as a way to put his region on the map. As a part of the Umbrella Collective and as a solo artist, Sub has been making a lot of noise over the last couple of years. If his recent LP with legendary Beat Junkies DJ, D-Styles, is any indication, his time is nigh.
After dropping a barrage of stink-face-inducing bars on Observe since ’98’s “Muerte de un Salvaje” LP, Sub was approached by the producer/label owner to do a full-length project. Observe is well known for his archaeological deep digs for samples, and when it comes to his producer albums, he tends to pick a specific country and style of music to pull from to create a cohesive body of work.
On principle, he eschews the all-too-common soul sample. However, he took it as a challenge when Sub requested “that soul sound” and then reveled in the thrill of unearthing records untouched by fellow crate diggers.
The result of this artistic pairing is music that was created with incredible ease. No sooner would Observe send over the beats than Substance would have the verses back to him. It’s almost like the lyrics wrote themselves. Similarly, the emcees they invited to contribute effortlessly heighten the vibe. “The Lion’s Share” will take you back to a time when heads focused on crafting a timeless classic rather than pumping out release after release strictly for financial gain.
“The Lion’s Share drops on all digital streaming services on 4/7/2023. Vinyl will be available on Bandcamp via Loretta Records, and CD’s and cassettes will be for sale on substance810.com
Substance810 & Observe since ’98: The Lion’s Share (track details) Long Nights Alone (Intro)
Power for Provisions
Lions Share (feat. Supreme Cerebral) Strike Like Lightning (feat. Jamil Honesty) Safari Tour (skit)
Wally Moccasins (feat. Mickey Diamond)
Mechanical Movements (feat. Asun Eastwood & DJ Grazzhoppa) Until You Lose It (feat. Maze Overlay)
Waiting on the Lion (skit)
Lookin in the Mirror (feat. Ralphiie Reese) No Love Lost
Kevin Gates has undergone a remarkable transformation. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native is morphing right before our very eyes. He’s still a social media lightning rod, but he has mutated into an entrepreneur and motivationalist that espouses the virtues of living life on his own terms. He’s adapt to living off the land as well as lighting up the algorithm on your favorite platform. He talks to Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur about the changes. But, some things do not switch up. The rapper is still cranking out music at a high level and giving people that raw sound they are accustomed to, all the while bucking convention like a real nonconformist.
AllHipHop: (Shows old picture of writer and Gates) When you look at your young self, what kind of memory does that bring?
Kevin Gates: It give me gratitude like, look where I’m at now, as opposed to back then. I’m grateful.
AllHipHop: Well, I’m glad you still pushing and still striving and still creating. So let’s talk about the music first. Let’s lean into that. I heard a few of your new songs, including the one with T.I. Yeah, that joint is serious. In the beginning, you’re talking Arabic, if I’m correct.
Kevin Gates: Oh, yes, sir.
AllHipHop: Yeah. So talk about the song “Active” a little bit and what that means.
Kevin Gates: We did the song maybe a year ago. I think I went by his studio. We did the song maybe a year ago. That’s my brother. I love him. I believe he just finally released it not too long ago.
AllHipHop: He added new lyrics, though, I guess because it seems like he’s addressing some current affairs in his verse.
Kevin Gates: To be honest, I wouldn’t even know because I still listen at the old version on my phone. I’m weird like that ’cause when I’m locked in and focusing on me, ’cause like I said, I’m a lifestyle curator and things of that nature. So I be so focused on me that I don’t really be having time to pay attention to other things like other people what they be having going on. I’m just weird like that.
AllHipHop: Yeah. Yeah. Well, weird is good. When you say you’re a lifestyle curator, what does that mean?
Kevin Gates: Everybody that come around me, I add intangible wealth. I get them things that money can’t buy. People that come around me, they be like, “My skin glowing now, Kevin,” or, “I look younger.” I feel better because of the things that the lifestyle that I live and the lifestyle choices that I make, anybody that’s in the room with me eventually going to get in tune with me.
AllHipHop: How did you get to sculpt your body the way you have?
Kevin Gates: You want me to be honest?
AllHipHop: Yeah.
Kevin Gates: You want me to be honest? I went through the fire. I suffered to get where I’m at. Adversity builds character. I turned my pain into passion and my focal point to excel. That go with everything that I’m working on. It’s just my future goals right now.
Big and small screen, lifestyle curator. I’m a designer, ’cause when I go to the store, all I did is pick it out and I picked it up, but I had to get it custom tailored to fit me.
AllHipHop: Yeah. Yeah. Do you stay to yourself mostly? I don’t see you at industry parties or a lot.
Kevin Gates: I say to what’s organic to me. If it’s in alignment with me, that’s why I’m at with it. People be like, “Man, the world’s so corrupt. The world … ” No, the world isn’t as it is, it’s as we see it. It’s we see it. We are reflections of one another. So if you not in love with yourself and you don’t have self-love and self-respect, you not going to ever be able to get that to nobody else.
AllHipHop: That’s a feeling.
Kevin Gates: When I say in the song, you don’t take a chance. You ain’t had a chance. You makin’ a plan to lose. Don’t need a security blanket or safety, harness abandoned school.Took an advance and paid him back. I made an advance and moved. I know how to stand and greet a man whenever he walk in the room.
AllHipHop: Right.
Kevin Gates: I know how to stand and greet a man whenever he walk in the room, ’cause it make me feel good to give another man that respect. You know? “How you doing? I’m Kevin.”
AllHipHop: You know what annoys me? When somebody doesn’t stand up for somebody when they greet them. I be like-
Kevin Gates: Maybe they don’t know.
AllHipHop: Yeah, that’s true.
Kevin Gates: I can’t fault them for what they don’t know. It’s all about perspective. The greatest teachers teach without teaching. My son, I never had to tell him, “You stand up when a man walk in the room.” No, he watch his daddy do it.
When he come in my office and he sees somebody come in my office, he’s sitting here talking to me and he watch me stand up and greet a man, I know how to stand and greet a man whenever he walk in the room. He automatically stand up because he going to emulate his father.
Now, if he ain’t had no strong male presence in his life or no positive male reinforcement in his life, then maybe he wouldn’t exhibit these type of character qualities.
‘Cause I’m not here to tell him what to do, I’m just here to guide him, ’cause me and him, we teaching each other.
AllHipHop: How old is your son?
Kevin Gates: Which one?
AllHipHop: The oldest one.
Kevin Gates: He’s 19.
AllHipHop: Okay. All right. Yo, it’s a funny thing. One of my favorite rappers from back in the day, but still one of my favorite name is KRS-One. He said-
Kevin Gates: Big teacher.
AllHipHop: Yeah.
Kevin Gates: Big teacher.
AllHipHop: Yeah, man.
Kevin Gates: Big teacher. I want to meet him.
AllHipHop: Oh, you never met him?
Kevin Gates: I want to meet him. I never met him.
AllHipHop: Oh, we going to make that happen.
Kevin Gates: I want to meet him.
AllHipHop: Oh, yeah. We definitely going to make that happen.
Kevin Gates: “I do it once, I do it twice. Now, I got steak with the beans and rice.” (Quoting “Love’s Gonna Get’cha (Material Love)”) Yeah.
AllHipHop: So you’ve been getting into this wellness journey now. Fitness has been part of it. What about the mental and spiritual stuff? Well, not even the spiritual, just the mental?
Kevin Gates: Part of it is, for me is, I do like what I’m doing now, I keep self inventory on myself and it helps me navigate. ‘Cause I like to exhibit emotional intelligence with anything that I’m dealing with in life.
Yeah. I like emotional intelligence because I was just reading that every time we have an emotion, it’s related to a chemical release in our body that causes that emotion that we are experiencing at the time.
So instead of asking me why am I feeling like this? F### how I’m feeling, why am I experiencing this emotion? It helps you navigate emotional intelligence.
If somebody disrespect me, did he really disrespect me? Was it an imminent threat? Like what morals or principles did I compromise by him doing what he did? I ask myself why was it triggering? “Is it something that happened in my past? Is it some past? Is it a past traumatic response reaction as opposed to a response?” So it’s just about emotional intelligence for me and keeping that self inventory. ‘Cause a lot of times we don’t understand vision, we don’t understand that. We don’t understand the emotional detoxes. I had to learn this on my journey. I was fortunate enough to have positive male reinforcement in my life also. But a lot of the positive male reinforcement that I had, they was doing a lot of the wrong things with the right ideas.
AllHipHop: Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Have you gone through depression in your life? Is that what’s caused you to have this-
Kevin Gates: Yeah, that’s one of my mission statements. I’m combating depression. We have all gone through depression, s###. You went through depression before you took this call. We all deal with depression. We all suffer from that, and that’s what made me take this health and wellness journey because I’m combating depression. That’s what make me enroll my children in martial arts and things of that nature making it fun because I’m combating bullying.
These are the things (bullying) that mold and shape us for the rest of our life.
AllHipHop: Yeah. That’s what’s happening.
Kevin Gates: So that’s just where I’m at with it. Right now, if you was to just be quiet, just listen. It’s peaceful here (in his home). It’s peaceful here.
It’s healing just to be here. That’s why I say I’m a lifestyle curator, ’cause anybody in the room with me, they going to have to get in tune with me, and they going to have fun. They going to discover parts of they self that they never knew existed, ’cause I don’t judge. I create a safe space for people to heal.
AllHipHop: Yeah. Is that your office you’re in?
Kevin Gates: Yeah, I’m in my office. It’s fairly new, so-
AllHipHop: That’s dope. That’s a nice office from what I can see.
Kevin Gates: Yeah. I’m Kevin, but I’m not Kevin Samuels. You heard me?
AllHipHop: Why you say that, though? Why you say that?
Kevin Gates: ‘Cause he had talked about big girls and I said in my song, “My B## bend it open and I grip her back rolls.” ‘Cause I used to punch on a big girl every now and then. You know what I’m saying?
AllHipHop: Right. Right. Ain’t nothing wrong with that, man. I didn’t catch that from Kevin Samuels. He was off code, though-
Kevin Gates: I love him. I love him. I love Kevin Samuels. In life, we agree to disagree and hey, I’ll bust a little Pillsbury up. I ain’t going to lie.
AllHipHop: Yeah, nah,, nah, he was wrong. He was wrong right there.
Kevin Gates: I’ll bust a big b#### up. I ain’t going to lie.
AllHipHop: See, there you go. So tell me, so when I hear you talk like that and I’m like, “Wait a minute, hold up. We was just talking about wellness and now we jump into this.” Is there any contradiction there?
Kevin Gates: Do you see a contradiction, are you looking for contradiction?
AllHipHop: I’m not looking for it. I’m just asking.
Kevin Gates: Well, there ain’t no contradiction then if you ain’t looking for it. I was just telling you how I differ from Kevin Samuels.
AllHipHop: Right.
Kevin Gates: Now if you want to take it and build it into else, hey, that’s on you, homie.
AllHipHop: Nah, nah, nah, nah. It’s all good.
Kevin Gates: Hey, I ain’t tripping ’cause life is about having fun, and I’m having fun. I’m not uptight. I’m not by the book. When you come around me, hey, I’d rather you hate me for who I am than love me for who I’m not. You going to get Kevin every day.
No pretendo.
No politically correct on this end.
We’re thugging.
AllHipHop: Nah, we’re thugging?
Kevin Gates: We’re thugging on this end.
AllHipHop: Okay. Okay. I ain’t calling no girl Pillsbury, though. I ain’t going to lie to you.
Kevin Gates: That’s my little nickname. Shoot, “You my little Pillsbury.”
AllHipHop: All right. Okay. Nah, ain’t no discrimination. I’ll put it that way.
Kevin Gates: Oh, my bad. You don’t want to get canceled. I’m already blackballed.
AllHipHop: Yeah. You think so?
Kevin Gates: Yeah. I don’t care.
AllHipHop: I don’t really care about getting canceled. I hold my values, but you feel like you’re canceled?
Kevin Gates: No.
AllHipHop: Why do you say that?
Kevin Gates: No, ’cause I already been blackballed ’cause I’m the black sheep. So when you look at yourself like that, it’ll allow you to live in your absolute truth. You don’t care what the consequences about living in your truth. So I already tell people, “Man, I’m already blackballed.”
Invasion Of Privacy is already the longest-charting album by a female rapper in the history of the Billboard 200 chart. Cardi B’s debut studio LP continues to rack up honors five years after its release.
For the fifth anniversary of Invasion Of Privacy, the Recording Industry Association of America officially certified the project as 4x-Platinum. The Atlantic Records-backed body of work debuted on April 6, 2018.
In addition, two singles off Cardi B’s Invasion Of Privacy earned higher RIAA certifications this week. “Be Careful” is now 4x-Platinum. “Ring” featuring Kehlani reached the 3x-Platinum mark.
Cardi became the first female artist to have every track on an album go Platinum. Invasion Of Privacy‘s “Bodak Yellow” (11x-Platinum) and “I Like It” with Bad Bunny and J Balvin (11x-Platinum) have both surpassed Diamond certification.
“Bartier Cardi” featuring 21 Savage is 3x-Platinum. Cardi B also picked up 2x-Platinum Awards for “Thru Your Phone” and “I Do” featuring SZA. The rest of the songs on the IOP tracklist scored Platinum plaques.
On this day in 2018… @iamcardib released #InvasionOfPrivacy. The debut album became the first in history to have all tracks certified platinum or more by the RIAA, and spawned the Diamond-certified hits “Bodak Yellow” & “I Like It” 🌟 #ATL75pic.twitter.com/BvflGmJYMm
Invasion Of Privacy made music history in other ways. Cardi B is the only solo female rapper to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. She achieved that accomplishment at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019.
Plus, Invasion of Privacy is the first album by a female rapper to host two No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and two RIAA-certified Diamond singles. “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It” peaked at the pinnacle of the Hot 100.
Cardi B heads into the next few months with a couple of live gigs booked. The Bronx-bred entertainer will headline Rolling Loud’s inaugural festival in Thailand next week. Hot 97 also tapped Cardi to top the bill for the NYC radio station’s Summer Jam 2023 concert.
Canadian singer/songwriter Daniel Caesar let loose the Never Enough album today (April 7). The LP shows up two days after Caesar’s 28th birthday.
As part of the promotion for Never Enough, Daniel Caesar spoke with Apple Music’s R&B Now Radio host Nadeska Alexis. The conversation also addressed the time when Caesar faced backlash for his remarks about race.
“I’m trying to get canceled right now,” began Daniel Caesar’s tirade directed at his Black followers back in 2019. He added, “White people have been mean to us in the past. What are you gonna do about that? Tell me what you’re gonna do about that. There’s no answer other than creating understanding and keeping it moving.”
That rant also included Daniel Caesar suggesting the Black community embraces a victim mentality and Caucasians are the winning team. The Toronto native made those remarks during the rise of the Black Live Matter movement against racial injustice in America.
Caesar eventually apologized for his Instagram Live lecture for Black Americans. However, it appeared some of his fans did take his cancellation request seriously, because his 2019 album Case Study 01 did not have the same cultural impact as his 2017 debut Freudian.
Daniel Caesar Says He Doesn’t Want To Hurt Anybody
“I completely understand the response. After taking time to get over myself and to really honestly look at myself and everything that was happening, I was wrong. I was wrong, and I’m sorry about that. For a long time, I was like, ‘You can’t do anything, you can’t say anything without whatever,'” Daniel Caesar told Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis.
He continued, “You can do and say whatever you want, but it’s like for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. And that’s physics, that’s science. That’s one of those things that the knowledge of that can literally put my mind at ease where I’m like, ‘Oh, I did deserve… What happened, happened because I deserved it, because I knocked the domino over and set a course in motion.'”
Caesar concluded, “I felt in that moment that I could say what I had said and the context of who I am would be taken into account. But I guess people don’t know who I am. I thought at the time that I was saying something meaning well, but it didn’t, and it hurt people and I don’t want to hurt anybody. That’s not what I do. That’s not what I’m interested in doing.”
Never Enough is Daniel Caesar’s first studio album released via Republic Records. Freudian and Case Study 01 came out through Golden Child Recordings. For Never Enough, Caesar worked with Zachary Simmonds, Dylan Wiggins, Mark Ronson, Raphael Saadiq, and others for the project’s production.
NLE Choppa already made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his 2022 single “S### Me Out.” The CashMoneyAP and FinesseGTB-produced track peaked at No. 82.
Nearly a year after presenting the song, Choppa has now dropped a new version of “S### Me Out” featuring Sexyy Redd. An official music video with Redd premiered on YouTube today (April 7).
When “S### Me Out” first landed on DSPs last year, NLE Choppa partnered with plant-based burger chain Slutty Vegan for the “S### Me Out” meal. Slutty Vegan customers in Atlanta could purchase the limited-edition meal for one week.
The original “S### Me Out” has racked up over 130 million streams. NLE Choppa’s explicit song amassed 75 million plays just on Spotify. “S### Me Out” currently sits at No. 6 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart.
Even before the Waterwippinevan-directed NSFW visuals came out, NLE Choppa faced some backlash for content associated with the clip. Critics slammed the promotional photos for the “S### Me Out” remix.
“Thought you was selling 110 minerals out of the 102 million we needed nephew. This ain’t it lil bruh,” tweeted rapper/producer Chuck Inglish in response to Choppa posting sexually suggestive photos with Sexxy Redd.
Nicki Minaj’s name is one of the top trending topics on Twitter this morning. The Queens-bred rapper once again partnered with YoungBoy Never Broke Again for the new “WTF” collaboration.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s latest single featuring Nicki Minaj arrived with an official music video. The “WTF” visuals are also currently trending in the Top 10 on the YouTube platform.
This is the third time YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Nicki Minaj teamed up. Previously, the duo came together for Mike WiLL Made-It’s “What That Speed Bout?!” in 2020 and YoungBoy’s “I Admit” in 2022.
“Cross YoungBoy then you cross the queen, all them internet games turn boys to memes. Keep sleeping on the team, we gon’ pause your dreams,” raps Nicki Minaj on “WTF.”
Nicki Minaj comes off dropping “Red Ruby da Sleeze” in March of this year. Last year saw the Queen album creator collaborate with Lil Baby, Coi Leray, Yung Bleu, Maluma, and Myriam Fares.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s 2023 includes the Louisiana native putting out “Next” and “Demon Party.” He is set to let loose his sixth studio album, Don’t Try This At Home, on April 21.
“I’ma talk crazy on there,” said YoungBoy about his upcoming project. “I’m a show you the Murda Man. I’m gon’ talk crazy on there, but I’m letting you know though, don’t try this at home.”
Nas was so touched by R-Mean’s 2017 tribute track in his honor that he reached out to him, and within three days, they recorded a collab.
Born in L.A. but raised in Amsterdam R-Mean, who has songs with the likes of The Game, Joe Budden, Kxng Crooked, and King Los, cites Nas as one of his biggest influences. When he dropped a tribute to the rap icon back in 2017, he never envisioned an opportunity to record with him.
However, dreams do come true, and R-Mean and Nas released the Scott Storch-assisted “Candle of the Devil” on Friday (Arp. 7). An overjoyed R-Mean took to Instagram earlier this week to explain how the fantasy collab came to fruition.
He revealed he used to “dream about being in the studio” with his favorite rapper Nas. “Until one day I woke up and it wasn’t a dream,” he declared.
“Back in 2017 I dropped a mixtape song called Letter to the King as a tribute to my 2 biggest influences as an emcee, Nas and Em. It got a lot of love from my fans and online but that was pretty much it.
R-Mean Says He And Nas Created A “Masterpiece”
However, several years later fate brought Nas into contact with a friend of R-Mean who played him the tribute and was moved to Facetime the song’s creator. “Nas told me ‘that sh*t did something to me right now’ as he pointed to his chest,” R-Ream added. “Three days later we were in the studio at @scottstorchofficial’s house and we created this masterpiece together on the spot!”
He concluded by expressing what the song means to him: “My actual dream came true. And not just because I did a song with my childhood idol, but because Nas and I both agree that this song is truly special. It’s a masterpiece! It’s exactly what I always imagined I would create with Nas if I was given the opportunity.”
As XXXTentacion’s killers prepared to spend the rest of their life behind bars, the late rapper’s mother sent a message to the men who took her son’s life.
Judge Michael Usan sentenced Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome, and Dedrick Williams to life without parole on Thursday (Apr. 6). In March, the trio were convicted of first-degree murder and armed robbery.
XXXTentacion’s mother believes justice has been served and shared her response to Boatwright’s courtroom antics. Last month, Boatwright smirked and blew a kiss to the camera, allegedly in the direction of the family, while the guilty verdict was being read out.
Cleopatra Bernard referred to her son’s killer as “Buttright” telling TMZ she hopes he “will now get the kiss he wants so bad.”
She also had a warning for Newsome and Williams: “My hope for these other gentlemen is they will retain a firm grasp on the slippery soap.” XXXTentacion’s mother shared her relief at the sentencing on her Instagram Story. “God is good,” she wrote alongside a praying hands emoji.
XXXTentacion Left Behind A Son He Never Got To Meet
XXXTentacion was shot and killed outside a Florida motorcycle dealership in June 2018. He was just 20 years old and left behind a son born after he died. The late rapper’s manager reflected on the tragedy in a statement read on behalf of the family during the sentencing.
“This is a loss we will never truly recover from,” Solomon Sobande stated. “We will never get to see Jahseh live to his full potential, we will never get to watch him grow old, we will never get to watch him be a father.”
XXXTentacion’s girlfriend and the mother of his child Gekyume broke her silence on the verdict via her Instagram Stories.
“After 5 long years you may finally rest in peace,” wrote Jenesis Sanchez last month. “Gekyume will never get to meet you earthside, but it is my job as a mother to ensure I share those special memories with him. Jah was robbed of his life and Geky was robbed of his father. For this, I will never truly have complete peace, but justice being served today helps the healing process.”
