Quando Rondo appeared at a bond hearing in Georgia on Friday (June 23).
The Atlantic Records artist sought bond after his indictment on drug and gang-related charges in Chatham County. Defense attorney Jonah Pine mentioned Quando Rondo’s record label when arguing for the rapper’s release from jail.
“He’s got the support of one of the greatest record labels in this country,” Pine said, per WTOC. “The same record label as Led Zeppelin and Ray Charles, that’s his label. They’ve provided a letter to us, it’s very heartfelt and talks about his career.”
Prosecutors urged Judge Tammy Stokes to keep Quando Rondo in custody. They deemed him to be a flight risk and a danger to the community.
Judge Stokes delayed her decision, telling both sides she was taking their arguments under advisement. The judge did not say when she would make her ruling on Quando Rondo’s request for bond.
Quando Rondo, whose real name is Tyquian Bowman, remains in jail. He faces two counts of conspiracy to violate Georgia’s controlled substances act, one count of participating in criminal activity in association with a street gang and one count of use of communication facility in commission of a felony involving controlled substances.
A judge has sentenced No Savage to three years in prison for firing a gun in a Virginia mall.
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced No Savage’s three-year sentence on Friday (June 23). The D.C. rapper also received 10 years of probation and was ordered to never set foot in the Tysons Corner Center mall.
“Today, the justice system has shown that perpetrators of gun violence will be held accountable for their actions,” Descano said in a statement. “Firing a gun into a public space is a serious crime, one that endangered our community members and threatened their future sense of safety. In cases like these, it is the prosecutor’s job to ensure accountability and use the tools at our disposal to prevent this sort of dangerous incident from happening again.”
Earlier this year, No Savage pleaded guilty to three counts of maliciously discharging a firearm in an occupied building and one count of using a firearm in commission of a felony. He faced up to 33 years in prison.
Prosecutors requested a 15-year sentence. The judge opted for the mandatory minimum sentence.
No Savage, whose real name is Noah Settles, opened fire inside the Tysons Corner Center mall in June 2022. No one was hit by the gunfire, but three people suffered injuries during the evacuation of the mall.
Bradford Cohen, YNW Melly’s former attorney, discussed the rapper’s ongoing murder trial during a live Q&A withLaw & Crime.
A viewer asked Cohen why he stopped representing YNW Melly. The lawyer explained why the rapper, whose real name is Jamell Demons, opted to hire different attorneys to handle the murder case.
“I was originally on the case with an individual whose name is Jason Williams, who’s an excellent attorney from New Orleans,” Cohen said. “And he represented another rapper named Boosie in a murder case, which he walked him on. He ended up becoming the state attorney for New Orleans, and Mr. Demons wanted to move in a different direction. He wanted to hire other attorneys, and I was OK with that.”
According to Cohen, YNW Melly asked the lawyer to return to the case months ago. Cohen turned down the offer, but it wasn’t because he feared it was a losing battle.
“I always look out for the best interest of the client,” Cohen said. “And I treat it just like a doctor-patient relationship. If you guys aren’t—if you don’t get the same vibe or you’re not vibing together, I have no hard feelings whatsoever. I was called six or seven months ago to come back on the case. But I’m not a fan of jumping off and jumping back onto cases … I didn’t get back on the team but that doesn’t mean I don’t think the case is good. I think the case is a great case.”
YNW Melly’s double murder trial began on June 12. Prosecutors accuse him of killing YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser in 2018.
Earlier this year week, a judge denied the defense’s motion for a mistrial. YNW Melly’s trial was in recess on Friday (June 23). It’s scheduled to resume on Monday (June 26).
Lil Meech had some words for Jess Hilarious recently. An on-air allegation about his alleged body odor sparked the exchange, leading to the Detroit native’s roll out of the comic’s perceived “thirsty” direct messages.
People sometimes easily forget celebrities are human, too. While these entertainers are typically too busy to respond, on some occasions, they do. First off, nobody is above being mocked. However, one must be ready for the response a jab may elicit.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctz59EyOhUI/?hl=en
Be that as it may, Lil Meech clearly doesn’t take kindly to disrespect. Following Jess’ allegations, Meech took to social media to tell his truth.
His inquisitively asked, “How I Stink But This Unstable Creature @jesshilarious_official In My DMs Trying To Get Chose?” Next, Meech answered his previous rhetorical question. He stated, “I See Why U Mad Now. This Is A Crazy World We Live In.”
A seemingly agitated Summer Walker—who may or may not be dating the polished performer—weighed in on the ordeal. Among other things, the singer had an array of questions, many of which went for the jugular.
Walker’s commentary explores the subjects concerning the integrity, perspective, mental stability, genetic composition and inherent beauty of Jess Hilarious. Well, it seems as though Walker aptly expressed her opinion.
Florida rapper Spinabenz was recently sentenced to six months in jail. But he says during the first two weeks of his incarceration, he was beaten up by a Duval County guard. He took to Instagram to share the violation in a meme.
“I was beaten in Duval County PTDF yesterday unwarranted & unprovoked by JSO Sargent Riviera,” he began. “Force was so excessive I had to be taken to the hospital. X-rays and MRI revealed I have both neck and back injuries. I am in a neck brace as a result of my injuries. They placed me in administrative confinement and turned off my access to tablets so no one can see me!!!”
Spinabenz captioned the post, “ I am going to hold @jaxsheriff accountable for what your Sargent did to my love one. You can not violate his civil nor constitutional rights! I am asking that all tornadoes to tap in with all of ur media outlets and make sure they are aware of JSO latest shenanigans. ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ MLK Let’s go!!! Da Management.”
“I know what I’ve been told,” he said, adding that he’s spoken to Spinabenz’s family. “He has some neck and back injuries … he was accosted by one of the guards … the guard was asked to leave (work) early.
“What I’ve done is requested public records and surveillance videos. I’m looking to get to the bottom of this. Are there other complaints against this officer? Has he done this before? Is he safe at this facility?”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said they are aware of the allegation and currently conducting an investigation.
A petition supposedly created by Nicki Minaj’s neighbors to boot her and her husband, Kenneth Petty, from their Hidden Hills community appears to be a hit job created by a Cardi B superfan.
The petition hoped to force their exit over concerns about safety since Kenneth Petty is a registered sex offender.
Petty’s status as a sex offender was listed as one factor that could have possibly brought down the value of the homes in their Hidden Hills neighborhood. It’s allegedly made people in the community—including the Kardashians, a few Jenners, and Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith—feel unsafe.
However, the woman who started the petition, Beverly Bardan, has been revealed as a Cardi B fan. TMZ contacted the Hidden Hills Community Association, and they had no knowledge of the petition. And, property records show there is no “Beverly Bardan” living in the neighborhood.
And the name Beverly Bardan seems to be a not-so-obvious reference to the name of the Twitter account supposedly behind the petition, @cleverlycardi2, as well as the rap star’s fans, who are known as the Bardi Gang.
We, as nicki antis, can turn the residents of Hidden Hills AGAINST Nicki and her p### husband moving in, hurting her assets in the process!
Stil, the petition, titled: “SAY NO TO SEX OFFENDERS IN HIDDEN HILLS,” has collected almost 900 signatures from concerned citizens.
As previously reported by AllHipHop, Petty was convicted of attempted rape in the first degree, assault in the second degree, unlawful imprisonment in the second degree, and criminal possession of a weapon decades ago.
As a convicted sex offender, he has to let everyone know where he lays his head. Interestingly enough, when he and his celebrity wife moved to California, he tried to lay low and failed to register his name on the Megan’s Law website. He was reprimanded for that, serving one year of home detention for not registering in California for his sex crimes.
TMZ reports when Petty tried to file new legal documents and was required to change his address to their new $19.5 million mansion in Hidden Hills, it alerted their new neighbors.
I’m working on a new plan to end Nicki, this time from the inside out.
My previous plan was to attack her brand and image by spreading negative facts about her, this new plan will attack Kenneth Petty directly.
For 6 months I haven’t gone a single day without ending Nicki
Even when my account was locked I would spread facts against her on YouTube and tiktok and it’s all been worth it, thank you so much 💛🙏 pic.twitter.com/VQsdvmLl3X
DaBaby and his music are currently enjoying a lively resurgence. Both the public and his peers are cognizant of this trend. In fact, Fat Joe is readily claiming Baby Jesus is making a come back.
While recently chopping it up with The Hip-Hop Wolf, he emphatically voiced his opinion. As a matter-of-fact, a lot was being said about the Southern spitter. The Terror Squad member proclaimed, “As far as I’m concerned, DaBaby uncanceled himself. The guy’s a beast.”
Moreover, the North Carolina native’s ability to fight against the odds is indeed an inspiration. As the enduring entertainer becomes increasingly hot, the world is again taking notice. Not to mention, the “Lean Back” rapper offered the following.
“DaBaby the rapper is unbelievable!” he added. “I’ve seen him fighting back and he went from being the biggest in the world to getting canceled to fighting,” the New Yorker said. Quickly, even more intriguing insight comes out.
Fat Joe concluded with, “You know, still making money and all that, but I’ve seen him on the grind. Every time I’ve seen him, I’ve said ‘Yo, stay strong. Stay focused, stay this.’ ‘Cause I think DaBaby and them are the new Terror Squad.”
Meek apparently took issue with how the press is reporting on the Titan and its missing passengers. The 36-year-old Expensive Pain rapper tweeted his response to some of the latest information about the incident.
I can’t see a wealthy man doing this with no extreme back up plans….with your son, not saying it’s fake but the way y’all run the same clips in media not even working on the average minds anymore…all types of stuff going on in the world y’all headlining with no real info lol https://t.co/ekr2NbY3ej
Cardi B also commented, criticizing the stepson of one of the billionaires on the submarine for going to a blink-182 concert.
More recently, Rick Ross has also added his thoughts on the matter, saying, “It’s so unfortunate … about the news submarine being lost at sea. [I’m] sending prayers to the families,” he said on his TikTok about the headline-grabbing story.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NFLTm9DHHJY
Ross continued, “Only question I had (and no I’m not a sealogist) … only question I have was why wasn’t submarine tethered? Meaning having a cable attached to the rear of it, all the way to the top … above water … So, once you lose communication, you could hit a button and it pull it all the way back to the top.”
He also asked why the submarine was not being tracked: “If you lose your phone. you could find your phone. It’s tracking devices everywhere. How you weren’t able to track this?”
Tione “Lil Tjay” Merritt was hospitalized in 2022 after getting shot seven times during a robbery attempt in New Jersey. The 22-year-old rapper reflects on that violent incident in his latest song.
Lil Tjay dropped the Dell Nie-directed “June 22nd” music video on Thursday, June 22, 2023. The track will live on the forthcoming Columbia Records-backed 222 studio album which arrives on July 14.
“It’s been a long road. A year ago being in New York City for the first time without security didn’t think it’d change my life, but it did and I’m blessed to have a second chance,” says Lil Tjay.
Previously, Tjay released “Beat the Odds” in August 2022. That song also addressed the Edgewater, New Jersey shooting. The official music video for “Beat the Odds” has collected more than 30 million views on YouTube.
Prosecutors charged 27-year-old Mohamed Konate with attempted murder, armed robbery, and weapons offenses in the case which also saw Lil Tjay’s friend, Antoine Boyd, get injured. Apparently, Konate also suffered gunshot wounds during the botched robbery.
Lil Tjay’s forthcoming 222 album follows 2019’s True 2 Myself and 2021’s Destined 2 Win. Both of those projects peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. His State of Emergency EP made it to No. 31 in 2020.
“Beat the Odds” spent four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 36. Lil Tjay scored his highest-charting single with “Calling My Phone” featuring 6LACK. That 4x-Platinum collaboration leveled off at No. 3.
It appears friction over Latto namedropping Coi Leray on “Put It On Da Floor” has not gone away. Leray has addressed the situation again.
“Smoking on that gas, blunt big as Coi Leray,” rapped Latto on the original version of her “Put It On Da Floor” track. Latto premiered the record at the 2023 Coachella Festival. Initially, those lyrics did not sit well with Coi Leray. In response, she called out Latto on Twitter.
Leray tweeted, “Here you go [talking] about my body. Please do not come on here and talk about nobody’s BODY. Lol like seriously. Out of all things. Lmaooo ya blunt my size? Lmaooo this s### is never-ending.”
Coi Leray Expressed She May Have Overreacted
That same week in April saw Coi Leray slightly walk back her first reaction to Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor” bar. After many social media users expressed the namedrop was not meant to be a diss, Leray returned to Twitter to share more thoughts on the matter.
“Maybe I overreacted [I don’t know]. End of the day. Don’t say my name for clicks and likes. [Especially,] if we don’t speak or communicate. I’m not a big blunt small blunt. Don’t compare me to nada. Mention b###### you actually beef with. Put it on the floor but leave me out of the bs,” posted Leray.
Then Latto used time during her Coachella Festival Weekend 2 set to address the controversy by saying she loved Coi Leray’s body. Leray responded with a “💯” emoji which seemed to signify the two women settled the growing tension.
“Don’t Compare Me To Nothing”
Hip Hop media personality Ebro Darden recently spoke to Coi Leray for Apple Music 1’s Rap Life Radio to promote the New Jersey native’s new self-titled album. The interview included Leray addressing Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor” line.
“It’s not a sensitive conversation. I feel like it wasn’t more about the body, it was more of mentioning my name,” Coi Leray told Darden. She also said, “I’m about positivity. For real. And I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. And not only that, I feel like the problem with our community today is we be so quick to try to change things but we don’t do nothing to actually change anything.”
Coi Leray added, “So if we’re going to say we’re going to stop talking about bodies, then don’t mention anything about my body. Just period. Don’t compare me to nothing, don’t think about nothing. We’re not smoking on anything, it’s disrespect. And where I come from I just don’t like that.”
“The Rap Beefs Are For The Guys”
Additionally, Coi Leray went on to say she has learned that not every action needs a reaction. The 26-year-old “Players” hitmaker also offered advice for her fellow female rap stars. According to Leray, women in Hip Hop should not feud with each other.
“I don’t know, it’s starting to get old. The rap beefs are for the guys. You know, I don’t even think they should do it,” offered Leray. “Us artists, we kind of control the narrative. So if we just spend more time pushing that narrative we won’t give these headlines and these blogs no reason to go ahead and push this negative narrative. That’s something we got to come together on.”
Coi Leray’s second studio album, Coi, hit DSPs on Friday, June 23. The project includes contributions by David Guetta, Saucy Santana, Giggs, Lola Brooke, and Skillibeng. Late R&B/Soul icon James Brown received a feature credit on the “Man’s World” track.
Memphis-bred rapper GloRilla teased releasing her own version of Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor” single. Her “GloMix” landed on YouTube on June 22.
“Put It On Da Floor (GloMix)” features GloRilla providing her own spin on the viral hit. The Grammy-nominated rhymer opened her verse by rapping, “Put me on a bib, I’m about to eat these b###### up.”
Latto sparked a popular online meme with her “Rip me out the plastic, I’ve been actin’ brand new” line. Then Cardi B also flipped that bar on the official “Put It On Da Floor Again” remix.
“Put a ribbon on me, I’ve been actin’ brand new,” rapped Cardi B. “Put It On Da Floor Again” became Cardi and Latto’s highest charting Billboard Hot 100 entry of 2023, peaking at No. 13 on the June 17-dated tally.
Both Latto and Cardi B showed support for GloRilla releasing her “GloMix” of the “Put It On Da Floor” track. Previously, Big Glo worked with Latto on the “F.N.F. (Remix)” and “FTCU” collaborations. GloRilla’s “Tomorrow 2” featuring Cardi B charted in the Hot 100’s Top 10 region.
GloRilla is not the only high-profile female recording artist to hint at rapping over the “Put It On Da Floor” beat. City Girls member Yung Miami and Bronx-bred emcee Remy Ma posted snippets of possible freestyles as well.
Last year, GloRilla rose to prominence with songs such as “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” and “Tomorrow 2.” The 2023 XXL Freshman scored a Best Rap Performance nomination at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
Season six of BIG3, the 3-on-3 league co-founded by O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson Sr., begins on June 25. Chicago’s United Center will host basketball action as well as rap performances.
Chicago natives Twista, Do or Die, Crucial Conflict, and Shawnna will hit the stage in the midwestern arena. The upcoming concert experience is part of Hip Hop culture’s 50th-anniversary celebration taking place this year.
“Our fans don’t just come for games, they come for the full BIG3 experience, on and off the court. We have persevered for six seasons against all odds and expectations – even through COVID-19,” says Ice Cube.
The BIG3 CEO continues, “Because we have the most skilled players, innovative partners, the best venues, and most importantly, the best fans in sports. We will continue to break barriers and bring in viewers by providing the best sports experience of the summer all season long.”
Ice Cube and co-founder entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz announced the BIG3 in 2017. The inaugural Big3 Championship game took place on August 26, 2017. Trilogy defeated the 3 Headed Monsters.
Coach Stephen Jackson’s Trilogy team is the two-time defending champion. With three overall BIG3 titles in five years, Trilogy looks to add another trophy to its dynasty. The Gilbert Arenas-coached Enemies face the champs in the season opener.
Ice Cube’s Cube Vision production company reportedly teamed with Jesse Collins Entertainment to film a sports docuseries about the BIG3 league. The program will follow Cube as the emcee/actor faces the challenges of building a new basketball league.
Thirteen years after unleashing their iconic collab, Snoop Dogg and Katy Perry have reason to celebrate> This week, their 2010 hit single “California Gurls” was certified diamond (10 million units) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The accolade marks the Death Row Records head honcho’s first-ever diamond single. Katy Perry racked up her fourth, making history in the process. She surpassed Lady Gaga on the leaderboard for most Diamond hits amongst women artists.
“California Gurls” served as the lead single on Perry’s third album, Teenage Dream. The song was a critcal success and topped charts cross the globe. Production credits came from Dr. Luke and Max Martin and an additional assist from Benny Blanco. It peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 before holding the spot for six consecutive weeks.
Katy Perry & Snoop Doog: “California Gurls”
However, the song would never have seen the light of day if it wasn’t for another ode-to-my-city single. Katy Perry revealed she tapped Snoop Dogg for “California Gurls” after feeling a touch of envy following JAY-Z and Alicia Keys’ love letter to New York City, “Empire State of Mind.”
“When I came up with the idea of ‘California Gurls,’ it was because I was a little bit jealous of all the love that was given to the East Coast,” she told MTV in 2010. “I thought for sure Tupac was rolling in his grave, and the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson was totally upset.”
According to Katy Perry, it was “perfect timing for a California anthem,” so she hit up Snoop Dogg, and the rest was literally history.
After an extended rollout, Coi Leray has finally delivered her self-titled sophomore album.
The 15-track COI arrived Friday (Jun. 23) with a diverse guest list of features, including appearances from David Guetta, Giggs, James Brown, Lola Brooke, Saucy Santana, and Skillibeng. Stream it at the end of the page.
A string of singles preceded the follow-up Coi Leray’s 2022 debut LP Trendsetters, including “Players,” “Bops,” “My Body,” and “Run It Up.”
The Republic recording artist revealed she’s planning to make her mark with COI, to which she dedicated more than half a year. She explained how Coi differs from her debut offering, stating, “This one you will see growth.”
She told a fan on Twitter, “I sat down and worked on this project for 6.7 months straight. My last project was all my music I made in those couple years. It was lot of pain music. This time, it’s giving B#### IM HERE TO STAY 🤸♀️💘”
This one you will see growth . I sat down and worked on this project for 6.7 months straight. My last project was all my music I made in those couple years. It was lot of pain music. This time, it’s giving B#### IM HERE TO STAY 🤸♀️💘 https://t.co/LGRxcYYsAW
Hours before releasing the album, Coi Leray took to social media to clap back at criticism of her 2021 XXL Freshman Cypher after the outlet announced the 2023 Freshman Class on Wednesday (Jun. 22).
“Can we discuss why Coi Leray has the worst XXL Freshman Cypher ever?” one Twitter user asked while sharing a clip of her verse.
“And the only one who [is] top 10 global in the world right now with 3 songs on the Hot 100,” she replied. “This didn’t determine my journey, I always knew I was destined for greatness. Now look at me. Swimming in hits baby. Y’all [too] busy worried about what someone has to say. Clearly IDGAF.”
Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s highly anticipated new single for the upcoming Barbie movie is here.
“Barbie World” arrived Friday (June 23) and samples Aqua’s iconic 1997 pop hit “Barbie Girl.” The song is featured on the Barbie soundtrack and movie set to hit theaters on July 21.
In the visual, the duo trade bars amid the sugary pink Barbie world and life-sized dollhouse. They later cruise through cotton candy-colored clouds on monogrammed Barbie jet skis. Both rappers even get their own Barbie dolls, which are featured in the intro.
“And I’m bad like the Barbie (Barbie),” the duo raps. “I’m a doll but I still wanna party (Party)/Pink ‘Vette like I’m ready to bend (Bend)/I’m a 10, so I pull in a Ken (Like).”
The collab is the fourth single from Barbie the Album. “Barbie World” follows Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” Karol G’s “Watati” and PinkPantheress’ “Angel.”
Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice previously teamed up on the remix to “Princess Diana.” They made history, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, the first chart-topper by two co-billed women in the list’s 34-year history.
In January, Ice Spice named Nicki Minaj as a major influence on her artistry.
“When I saw Nicki, I was so mesmerized,” the Bronx native told XXL. “She’s the first female rapper that I [saw]. And ever since then, I was kinda set on what I wanted to be.”
Young Thug invited Lil Durk and Lil Baby to respond to Gunna on his newly released Business Is Business album, according to a couple of leaked audio snippets. The clips, which appear to be jail calls between Thugger and the two rappers, hit the net Thursday night (June 22).
In one clip, a voice that sounds remarkably like Young Thug advises “Durk” to save any response to “f### n###a” Gunna for Business Is Business and reveals the project was due to be released on the same day as Gunna’s A Gift & a Curse album.
“Hey Durk, I’m dropping this surprise album on the same day buddy drop his album,” Young Thug purportedly said. “That s### coming up soon. I need a verse from you If you feel like you want to reply to what that n###a saying, don’t do it. Drop it on my album. I’m dropping a surprise album on the same day f### n###a dropping. Send your verse in bro. I want you and [Lil Baby] on the same song.”
The second audio is seemingly Young Thug making a similar request of “Wham” AKA Lil Baby.
“If you thinking about responding to the lil s### buddy that put out… I want you to respond on my album,” he said. “I’m a drop this spontaneous album on the same day he drop his album, I’m a name that s### ‘Business Is Business.”
Some people online were skeptical of the recordings, writing them off as deep fakes. Others claimed Young Thug’s own sister branded the recordings as AI fakes.
The recording states Young Thug planned to drop his new album at the same time as Gunna (June 16) , but Thugger actually dropped a week later. He also allegedly asked Lil Durk and Lil Baby to hop on a track together, although neither of them appears on Business Is Business.
Earlier this year, Lil Durk accused Gunna of snitching on Young Thug in the YSL Rico Case.
“That man told,” ” he said on DJ Akademiks’ Off The Record podcast. “You shoulda went in there and kept your mouth closed. If you’re a rat, you’re a rat, I f###### hate you. Cause I love Thug.”
Both Durk and Lil Baby reportedly unfollowed Gunna on Instagram shortly after he took an Alford Plea.
Dominating the industry on behalf of Duval County, Lil Westside remains on a rapid rise with back-to-back bangers under Burke’s new label 50/40 Records. Having kept the new signee in heavy rotation, Lil Westside premieres the new raved release “Up All Night” following her hot hit, “I Am Not Them”. In fact, the previously praised single racked up more than 70K views in less than 24 hours following its unveiling.
Trailblazing through the industry all 2023, the standout star keeps releasing raved records from her album Underdog:A Westside Story. From “Rearrangement”, “BOOLING ON THE WESTSIDE” to “I Am Not Them,” to the latest offering “Up All Night”, Lil Westside has been arriving and appearing all over on a weekly basis.
Furthermore, the rising rhymer proves that she’s on an unstoppable strive to the top of her stardom! Don’t believe me? Press play on the astounding album, Underdog:A Westside Story available on your preferred streaming platform. For now, press play on the premiere visuals for her highlighted hit “Up All Night” here at All Hip Hop. Lastly, let us know what you think!
Young Thug awaits trial in the YSL RICO case, but his legal troubles aren’t stopping him from dropping music.
The embattled rapper revealed the imminent release of a new album titled Business Is Business on Thursday (June 22). He tagged Metro Boomin in the announcement.
“BUSINESS IS BUSINESS TONIGHT,” Young Thug declared via Instagram. “@metroboomin let’s go.”
Metro Boomin confirmed the album’s release in his own Instagram post.
“BUSINESS IS BUSINESS THE ALBUM AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE TONIGHT!!” he wrote. “DROP SOME [fire emojis] IF YOU READY. #FREETWIN I LOVE YOU BRO.”
Last week, Young Thug teased the project by sharing a QR code on social media. Business Is Business will be his first album since 2021’s Punk.
Young Thug remains in jail with no start date in sight for the YSL RICO trial. Jury selection began in January, but no jurors have been seated over the past six months.
The 300 Entertainment artist was one of 28 people named in the original indictment against YSL members. Gunna, Young Thug’s brother Unfoonk and others accepted plea deals in the RICO case.
Young Thug is one of the eight defendants left in the YSL RICO trial. Several co-defendants had their cases severed during the slow-moving jury selection process.
Killer Mike is walking back claims André 3000 has a new solo album on the way. During a recent interview with Atlanta radio station V-103, the Run The Jewels juggernaut was asked about the comments he made during an interview with Sway Calloway. He quickly copped to playing with fans’ emotions.
“I was stoned out of my mind playing, teasing with y’all,” he said. “Y’all done took the joke too seriously. But you know, [Andre 3000’s] always making music. He’s never not making music. So I got a chance to hear a lot of cool stuff… If you want to hear Dre though, I know where you can. It’s this album called Michael that’s out right now. There is Dre, Future, and Killer Mike.”
Outkast fans, of course, were losing their collective minds following Killer Mike’s revelation. In a clip making the rounds on Instagram, Calloway said, “What I’m hearing is Dre got an album coming,” to which Killer Mike replied, “Yeah, I think we fly out in a couple weeks to go listen to it.”
Calloway said, “Wow, that’s amazing. André 3000 got an album coming.” When someone mentioned he thought they were joking, Calloway said, “Nah, he said he played him nine tracks of stuff he already he had. That mean Dre sitting on volumes of songs.”
Of course, Killer Mike could simply be covering his tracks and 3 Stacks could very well be on the verge of dropping new music. Outkast hasn’t released an album since 2006’s Idlewild, following a run of albums that includes multiple hip-hop classics—from Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) and ATLiens (1996) to Aquemini (1998) and Stankonia (2000).
André 3000’s verse on Killer Mike’s Michael single, “Scientists & Engineers,” has stoked the flames though, and many Hip-Hop fans are clamoring for more from the elusive Atlanta-bred MC. André 3000 has been spotted out and about playing his flute in recent years, seemingly without a care in the world. Fans will have to wait and see if he’s been cooking new solo material in the studio—as difficult as that is. In the meantime, listen to “Scientists & Engineers” featuring André 3000 and Future below.
Memphis officials raised questions about a nonprofit’s use of city funds to book Saucy Santana for an HIV testing event, which the rapper no-showed over the Juneteenth weekend.
One Memphis One Vision founder Devante Hill claimed he recruited Saucy Santana to help draw a crowd for an event designed to help homeless people with HIV. Hill said he booked the rapper for $30,000, but Saucy Santana missed a flight and never appeared at the event.
“It wasn’t just, ‘Let’s have a party and celebrate Pride!’” Hill told WREG. “No, there was actually a mission and an objective behind actually booking this particular talent.”
Hill accused Saucy Santana of pocketing an advance and threatened to sue the rapper. But Hill may have bigger problems on his hands since the funds allegedly came from grant money, which wasn’t meant to be used to hire a celebrity.
“One Memphis One Vision was given a grant for their Juneteenth weekend through the Department of Housing and Community Development for HIV testing and to rehab two blighted homes to combat homelessness among youth 18-24 who test positive for HIV as part of a matching grant with Lowes,” Memphis communication officer Allison Fouche explained in a press statement. “This grant was not intended to hire entertainment for the event.”
Hill denied any wrongdoing.
“It was clear when we asked for the grant and applied for the grant that we wanted to create a very large testing event and that we needed to compel a specific demographic of people, and we had a solution as to how we were able to do that,” he told WREG.
Saucy Santana told TMZ he only received half of the deposit for the event. He alleged One Memphis One Vision was trying to paint him as a villain even though he still offered to come after missing his flight.
Memphis officials asked Hill to provide documentation on his use of the grant money.
