British police apprehended three people while investigating the fatal stabbing of UK rapper TKorStretch.
According to multiplereports, authorities arrested an 18-year-old man and a 23-year-old man in Bristol on Wednesday (October 19). The two were taken into custody on suspicion of murder.
Police also arrested a 20-year-old woman in London. She was accused of assisting an offender in the TKorStretch murder case.
TKorStretch, whose real name was Takayo Nembhard, was stabbed to death at the Notting Hill Carnival in August. He was 21.
“Ever since the tragic murder of Takayo, my team and I have been busy behind the scenes gathering intelligence and evidence to bring his killers to justice, and we will continue to work around the clock until they are behind bars,” Detective Chief Inspector Jim Shirley said in a statement.
Police are still looking for more information about TKorStretch’s murder.
“While it is positive that we have made three arrests today, the hard work does not stop here,” Shirley said. “We are continuing to appeal for witnesses to come forward. Takayo was stabbed to death in broad daylight in front of a huge crowd of people. I am confident that there are people out there who have not yet spoken to us, for whatever reason that may be.”
He added, “If you saw something and have not yet spoken to us, please do so as a matter of urgency. Don’t do it for me, do it for Takayo’s family who are still trying to come to terms with their terrible loss.”
Black Ink Crew’s Ceaser Emanuel sought professional help after VH1 fired him for abusing a dog in a viral video.
Ceaser revealed he went to therapy to address his dog abuse in an interview with WGCI 107.5 in Chicago. The Black Ink Crew boss believed his unresolved trauma led to the violent outburst that got him fired.
“Honestly, I was going through a lot,” he said. “I don’t want to make no excuses but that was during COVID. [The] situation with my daughter just happened. My mind was going all over the place. I didn’t know how much stuff I was going through until after this dog situation I got therapy.”
He continued, “I didn’t know … how much loss, how many people died and I just kept working and kept building. I never really got to heal or anything … I done lost a lot of things.”
Ceaser tried to power through his issues for years, particularly while he was starring in Black Ink Crew. But everything came crashing down for him with the dog abuse scandal.
“Being on TV, sometimes you just get caught up in the machine that you don’t really get to mend anything that you going through,” he said. “So, you walking around with wounds that’s just open. And you trying to be a man – men ain’t supposed to cry, men ain’t supposed to do this – you not understanding you doing more damage to yourself than anything. And I feel like that moment just defined that I needed help.”
He added, “And that’s what I did … I ain’t alright. That s### shouldn’t have happened. I’m more intelligent and more sure than that. And that couple of seconds basically cost me a lot.”
Listen to the full interview below. Ceaser begins talking about therapy around the 12-minute mark.
One of the persons arrested was Trone’s 17-year-old son, who will face charges of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery. The other person was a female, Shauntel Trone, 38, and the teenager’s stepmother.
She was arrested and charged with being an accessory after the fact.
A criminal complaint suggests someone inside the restaurant might have reached out to the family and told them PnB Rock was in the establishment, stationary like a sitting duck while rocking his jewelry.
The teen is said to have shot the rapper in his chest once and then twice in his back before demanding that his terrified girlfriend give him the dying rapper’s jewelry.
Two families have been destroyed by this act of senseless greed.
The Allen family and the Trone family.
PnB Rock, whose real name is Rakim Allen, is said to have saved his girlfriend’s life during that tragic day while losing his own.
Stephanie Sibounheuang said on Instagram, “I am 100% not ok. My man saved my life, Throwing me under that table. I’m not supposed to be here but bc of him. I am. No one would be able to handle this. TBH, I can’t even handle this.”
After years of being estranged, rapper 50 Cent’s son said he wanted to extend an olive branch and sit with his father— possibly to restore their relationship.
However, the Queens rapper is calling bullsh*t, saying that Marquise doesn’t reconciliation, he wants attention.
In an interview with Charlamagne Tha God the rapper was asked, “You know, your son wants to sit down with you.”
“No, he doesn’t,” he snapped. “See Charlamagne, he would call me. You don’t call TMZ to say you want to sit down. Think about it, man.”
The “Get Rich od Die Tryin’” rapper said, “He wants some attention. It’s OK… he can have as much that as you want.”
The two have been at odds for years, ever since 2017 when the young man referenced his father ins a rap song. 50 has long said his son is listening to his mother and siding with her over him.
He continued in the interview saying, “You know, it’s just like, he’s been trained to believe what you seen him say in that interview. He’s been trained to believe that for a long time. You don’t just wake up and say, ‘Oh well, I don’t believe what I’ve been believing forever.’”
“When I said, he’s entitled … really it’s his moms whose entitled. It’s been filtered. I told you I was giving her a half million dollars a year. They go through the paperwork they see half a million dollars a year. At that point, she still was expecting more. This is why I took her to child support. You don’t usually sign up for child support. I took myself to child support. Because she was not understanding I’m already giving you more than you were supposed to get. Then when it turns into the $6,700 and that’s not enough. It’s never going to be enough.” he explained.
He said to Charlamagne, “You remember me constantly coming to you saying, ‘She don’t want to work. She needed a job.’ She didn’t hear me.”
The radio host confirmed the conversations, saying, “You used to tell me, he is almost 18. The child support going to be up.”
50 then shared he never feels resentment when it comes to child support because he pays it. He just puts in an account that automatically paid his son’s mother. He said regarding Marquis he tried for a long time to get to him directly, even showing up to where he was, but he would not sit with him.
He also shared that he doesn’t really rock with Sire’s mom, but there is a family member that makes sure there is good communication between the father and his youngest son.
Charlemagne reminded him that people do grow up and realize they only received one side of the story and seek to restore their relationship with their dad to get a full picture.
The interesting part of this conversation is that the door does not seem to be closed.
50 seems to be saying, just like the father-son dynamics in all of his shows, a mending could be had but it needs to happen behind closed doors.
We rooting for y’all. After all, they have the exact same faces! #CurtisAndMarquisForTheWin
Longtime hip-hop/artist rapper SKATTERMAN releases his brand new single, “Grown Man Business”, streaming now! Having recently found new life with the revived label Talon Music Group, SKATTERMAN has stormed back into the spotlight with a series of impressive new releases. Featuring a heavy-hitting and assertive style, SKATTERMAN is reviving the O.G. hip-hop sound like fine art.
Born and raised on the streets of East Side, Kansas City, SKATTERMAN had to grow up battling the chaos and pitfalls of his environment in order to make a name for himself. Exposed to this lifestyle, SKATTERMAN found himself resonating with hip-hop music. SKATTERMAN first entered the music industry in 1999 as a duo act with the popular rapper and his fellow high-school classmate Snug Brim.
The teenage duo group quickly made waves with their debut album Worth A Million, catching the attention of Tech N9ne and landing them a spot on his label Strange Music. After years of success as a duo act, SKATTERMAN decided to go solo, re-launching his career as a solo artist in 2010 with the release of his debut mixtape “The Cookbook: Recipe 1”.
This mixtape was highly successful and debuted a shifting sound in SKATTERMAN’s music. Working alone, SKATTERMAN’s music was allowed to become more personal and genuine as he was able to draw more on his own personal influences and creative inspirations without hesitation.
Now, after over one thousand shows with Tech N9ne, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Snoop Dogg, MIMS, Lil Flip, and Paul Wall, SKATTERMAN looks to put his own unique touch on the industry. SKATTERMAN’s latest track, “Grown Man Business” is a smooth, gritty, and hypnotic track that puts his O.G. style of hip-hop at the forefront.
Dropping some tight bars and smooth flows, SKATTERMAN creates the perfect hype-up song with an aggressive, no-nonsense style of rap. The song talks about what it takes to live the Street Life and that you won’t survive if you don’t treat it like a business. SKATTERMAN knows it is not a life for everyone, especially not for the faint of heart.
Although it is the first track out of the newly revived Talon Music Group label, the success of “Grown Man Business” is no surprise. It is the result of a collaboration between SKATTERMAN and Eric “Hawk” King, his longtime friend and business partner. Together, the two signed with Bungalo/Universal and recruited the help of super-producer Acer Vantes, adding yet another layer of talent onto the label. The label has much more planned beyond “Grown Man Business” including two new EPs, NFTs, six new singles, music videos, and much more.
With decades of experience in the music industry, SKATTERMAN is an expert at finding ways to keep his audience engaged. “Grown Man Business” is the perfect example of this, as SKATTERMAN has found a way to draw in audiences with a fresh twist on an old-school style. By combining an O.G. sound with his genuine, raw perspective, SKATTERMAN is making a unique mark on the industry and re-introducing an entire generation to the O.G. hip-hop sound.
President Donald Trump has not turned his back on Kanye West after all.
On Tuesday, October 18th, the 45th chief executive of the United States refused to denounce the billionaire rapper-turned-designer for his anti-Semitic comments over the last couple of weeks, some that included his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to the Daily News.
In a new interview with Larry O’Connor, Trump was asked about his MAGA hat-wearing rap star friend, saying, “He was really nice to me. Beyond anybody, he was. He was great to me.”
Even when O’Connor pressed him about Ye’s allegation that Kusher brokered the Abraham Accord peace between Israel and some of the Arab states so that he could financially profit, he would not fold.
Over the last few weeks, Ye has appeared on Tucker Carlson, Chris Cuomo, and N.O.R.E.’s “Drink Champs,” spewing hateful speech about Jewish people. He even said on Cuomo’s show my “life was threatened by my Jewish managers, by my Jewish lawyer, by my Jewish accountant.”
The president is still standing by his guy.
“He was great, really, to MAGA, to the MAGA movement, which was very impressive,” Trump continued. “I’ve always gotten along with him.”
“He was really high on a guy named Donald Trump,” the former president said. This is a turnabout from his recent comments where he said he was going to steer clear of speaking about the rapper in public.
That change might be because he may need Kanye as an ally soon. Trump, who plans to run again in 2024, has been accused of anti-Semitism himself.
“U.S. Jews have to get their act together and appreciate what they have in Israel – Before it is too late!” Trump wrote in a cryptic post on his Truth Social platform.
According to the Daily News, Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Brooklyn Democrat and the majority leader, checked him in a statement on Monday. Saying it is “no surprise that a guy who aligns himself with hateful white nationalists says stupid and offensive things about Jewish Americans and Israel.”
These guys, both Donald Trump and Kanye West, are two peas in MAGA pod.
The Big Steppers Tour heads to Paris, France for a sold-out show at the Accor Arena. American emcee Kendrick Lamar will stream the show live.
Viewers from around the world will be able to watch Lamar on Prime Video and the Amazon Music app. Fans can also catch the event on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.
Additionally, “The Big Steppers Tour: Live From Paris” will be available to view on-demand on Prime Video following the livestream. Kendrick Lamar tapped pgLang’s Baby Keem and Tanna Leone as opening acts.
The Compton-raised rapper will also celebrate the 10-year anniversary of his ground-breaking major label debut album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. That critically-acclaimed opus came out on October 22, 2012.
Amazon Music Set To Celebrate Two Of Lamar’s Studio LPs
“As a kid from the west side of Compton, hearing Good Kid, M.A.A.D City for the first time and seeing Kendrick’s journey from neighborhood hero to global superstar ignited a fire in me that I’m forever grateful for. It showed me that no matter where you start in life, hard work and dedication will put you where you hope and dream to be,” said Tim Hinshaw, head of R&B and hip-hop for Amazon Music.
Hinshaw added, “Now, 10 years later, it’s almost poetic that two kids from the same city with similar, but different dreams have landed in Paris to celebrate not just that record but Kendrick’s latest revolutionary album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. We’re honored to sponsor this tour and bring this show to fans around the world.”
“We are thrilled to be working with Kendrick Lamar, one of the most influential and groundbreaking artists of my generation, and pgLang to collaborate across Amazon for this epic entertainment event,” said Alaina Bartels, head of talent synergy & specials, Amazon Studios. “We continue to be the home for talent and creating special opportunities for our global customers to experience their awe-inspiring creativity.”
The troubling Kanye “Ye” West story continues. After catching heat for his antisemitic and anti-Black Lives Matter comments over the last few weeks, Ye is not backing down from his verbal assault on practically anyone.
West directed his latest onslaught at several high-profile figures in Hip Hop media. The Daily Mail posted a video of the 45-year-old musician/entrepreneur addressing his critics.
Kanye West was asked for his reaction to N.O.R.E. apologizing to George Floyd’s family. Ye falsely suggested Floyd died from a drug overdose and not from police brutality. West seemingly gave the Drink Champs host a pass. He then turned his attention to Hot 97 radio personality Peter Rosenberg.
“N.O.R.E. is my brother. He’s under a lot of pressure,” said West. “If you look at the first thing it says – ‘N.O.R.E. does an interview with Rosenberg.’ What’s the exact thing I was saying? I said the Jewish media controls so many things.”
The Chicago native continued, “It’s not all the Jewish people, but there’s specifically Jewish people in media that are in power that try to… they’ve bought the Black voice, but they haven’t been able to buy my voice. So instead they blackball me, they threaten people to not interview me.”
Kanye West Continues To Cite Conspiracy Theories About “Jewish Media” Controlling Black Content Creators
In addition to Peter Rosenberg, Kanye West had words for The Breakfast Club‘s Charlamagne Tha God and Off the Record‘s DJ Akademiks. Ye tried to tie those Black Hip Hop talking heads to a greater conspiracy.
“Jewish media, Black media, trauma culture, trauma economy – the stuff that Charlamagne Tha God works for. The stuff that Rosenberg works for… The guys that Akademiks… You gotta understand. All these people that y’all are listening to out here, I’m gonna tell y’all, they’re getting their checks cut.”
Kanye West’s former boss at Roc-A-Fella Records, Damon “Dame” Dash, recently expressed concern about the father of four. Dash essentially scolded the media for interviewing West during what could be a manic episode caused by his bipolar disorder.
“Why [would] you put the camera on him instead of sending him a prescription or a doctor or some therapist?” asked Dash. The longtime Ye associate also said, “Let’s have some compassion for a man that may be not so well at that moment. If he told you transparently that he has a problem, respect it.”
Global superstar Kanye “Ye” West rose to prominence as part of the Roc-A-Fella Records talent roster. The Roc’s co-founder, Damon “Dame” Dash, spoke about Ye’s recent questionable actions.
West generated significant backlash for his comments about Black Lives Matter, George Floyd, and Jewish people. The Donda album creator’s racially-motivated and antisemitic statements led to Twitter and Instagram suspending him from those social media platforms.
“He’s my brother,” said Dame Dash about Ye while appearing on Kick Game. When asked about how often he is in contact with his longtime friend, Dash responded, “Not constantly. When he needs me and when I’m worried about him.”
The music industry veteran added, “I’m worried about him. N####, can I ask you a question? Is he bipolar or not, did he tell you that? So if you checked off the boxes of bipolar, is he acting that? So then leave it at that.”
Kanye West Went On Several Shows To Push His Problematic Rhetoric
Dame Dash also offered the Kick Game interviewer and fans advice on how to handle the troubling situation involving Kanye West. Dash stated, “Worry about his health if you care about him at all… I’m just saying, man, regardless of what he’s saying, it’s the way he’s saying it. I don’t care what he’s saying, I want him to live. Y’all worried about the wrong s###.”
Fellow Roc-A-Fella alumnus N.O.R.E. invited Kanye West on his Drink Champs podcast. N.O.R.E. faced substantial criticism for platforming Ye during what seemed to be a manic episode. The interview has since been pulled from YouTube, and N.O.R.E offered an apology to George Floyd’s family.
“Why [would] you put the camera on him instead of sending him a prescription or a doctor or some therapist?” asked Dash. The entrepreneur also said, “Let’s have some compassion for a man that may be not so well at that moment. If he told you transparently that he has a problem, respect it.”
Rising rapper DDG upset some people online for what he said about an iconic Civil Rights activist and racism. The YouTuber-turned-musician even caught the comedic wrath of Insecure actress Amanda Seales.
“I didn’t know people were this racist. I didn’t know this,” said DGG in a recent interview with Bootleg Kev. He continued, “I thought that s### was gone. I thought Martin Luther King canceled this s### out. This s### is crazy.”
DDG’s statement was a response to the race-based vitriol aimed at his Black girlfriend, Halle Bailey, for starring as Ariel in the fictional The Little Mermaid. According to DDG, his MLK point was just an exaggeration, not a dismissal of bigotry in America.
Comedian Amanda Seales Warns About An “STS” Infection
Amanda Seales was one of the critics to jump on DDG for what he said about the backlash directed at Halle Bailey. The outspoken comedian suggested Bailey should end her relationship with DDG over his response.
“You gotta break up with him. You gotta do it. ‘Cause, she may not get an STD. But she’s gonna a get STS – sexually transmitted stupidity,” said Amanda Seales in a video posted to social media.
DDG replied to Amanda Seales during an interview with VladTV. The 2021 XXL Freshman Class member made it clear he took issue with what Seales had to say about the situation.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RC6ajuTaR9c
DDG Questions Why A 41-Year-Old Woman Is Commenting On His Relationship
“I thought that was lame,” expressed the It’s Not Me It’s You album creator. “I don’t even know who that is, and that’s not no disrespectful s###, I genuinely do not know who that woman is.”
DDG added, “Hella engagement on that post though. I seen that b####. I’m like, ‘Ten thousand comments? F### is this?’ How old is she? Why would you even be speaking on a young relationship like that?”
The interviewer then informed DDG that Amanda Seales is 41 years old. The Epic recording artist replied, “41? What the f###? At your big age? That’s how you’re talking about a 24-year-old and a 22-year-old dating.”
Prior to the first episode of The Surreal Life airing on television, August Alsina spoke to Entertainment Tonight. He addressed the emotional weight of being part of reality TV after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It really was just, I think, a new space, new environment, new people, old emotion, pent-up emotion, new experience that brings new emotion, so it was just a lot of emotion flying around at times,” stated Alsina.
During the COVID-19 crisis, August Alsina made international headlines after he exposed his previous romantic relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith. The so-called “entanglement” with Will Smith’s then-estranged wife became tabloid fodder for weeks.
Alsina claimed he has “absolutely zero” relationship with the Smith family at this point. The 30-year-old singer admitted the scandal involving Jada Pinkett Smith made him question his decision to take part in The Surreal Life.
“I would say that going into it, that probably was one of the factors for me that I felt like, ‘Hmm, do I really want to do this?’ because I didn’t want to go into a situation where people would grab for low-hanging fruit,” stated August Alsina.
In addition to Alsina, the new season of The Surreal Life also features Dennis Rodman, Tamar Braxton, Kim Coles, Frankie Muniz, Stormy Daniels, and more. The Surreal Life premieres Monday, October 24 at 9 pm ET/PT on VH1.
The North London rapper earned the win on her second nomination; she first received the nod for her third album, Grey Area, in 2019. Simz also performed a hauntingly beautiful rendition of her song “How Did I Get Here” during the ceremony. Watch it below and stream the album at the end of the page.
Little Simz Celebrates Winning The Mercury prize
Little Simz was initially speechless, accepting the award at London’s Eventim Apollo on Tuesday night (Oct. 18) as the crowd congratulated her with a standing ovation.
“Wow. I’m very very overwhelmed, I’m very grateful,” she said. “Glory to God – God thank you so much; to my family over here, my loved ones right here. I wanna say a huge thank you to Mercury for this incredible, incredible prize. I wanna say a thank you to my brother and close collaborator [producer] Inflo – Flo [has] known me since I was so young, he’s stuck by me, we created this album together. There was times in the studio I didn’t know if I was gonna finish this record, I was going through all the emotions … he stuck by me.”
She also paid tribute to her fellow nominees. “All of you guys are incredible, we all made incredible albums, we all change people’s lives with our music and that’s the most important thing, so this is for us really, you know what I’m saying?”
The award comes with a £25,000 prize ($28,350 approx.), given to the year’s best British or Irish album.
“The album that we have chosen deals with themes both personal and political; the music is as sophisticated as it is varied,” said DJ Jamz Supernova presenting Little Simz with the prize. “This is a truly exceptional album.”
Meanwhile on Tuesday evening, Little Simz took a walk down memory lane. She shared a throwback clip dating back to when she was just eight years old, rapping for BBC Radio 1Xtra.
Wendy Williams is getting her health back on track and planning a return after taking some time out to focus on her well-being.
The former talk show host checked into rehab last month (Sept. 14). While there was some speculation that Wendy entered rehab for substance abuse issues, her publicist didn’t disclose why she was receiving treatment.
However, publicist Shawn Zanotti told ET that Wendy Williams is now “home and healing” and on the road to recovery. He also revealed Wendy already has plans for some upcoming projects.
“Wendy is excited about the road ahead and looking forward to releasing her many projects,” Zanotti said.
Wendy Williams also shared a note for the supporters who have helped her through the difficult times. “Thank you to my fans for your love, support and many prayers,” she penned. “I am back and better than ever.”
“She is taking some time to focus on her health and wellness as she prepares for a major comeback for the next level in her career with The Wendy Experience Podcast,” he shared. “Ms. Williams is being treated by a team of some of the best doctors in the world. We ask for your prayers and well wishes during this time.”
Sources say Wendy Williams was lining up an impressive guest list for the podcast with names including Snoop Dogg and Fat Joe. She was also said to be in talks with the Kardashians and the Trumps.
Nas and Hit-Boy are returning with the third installment of their King’s Disease series.
On Tuesday (Oct. 18), the legendary duo officially announced the arrival of King’s Disease 3, sharing an image of the cover art. The strikingly simple album cover features three gold bars spelling out the number three in Roman numerals with “KD3” etched into the bars. The image also reveals the project arrives next month on Nov. 11.
Nas and Hit-Boy have four projects together, cementing their iconic partnership. The inaugural King’s Disease LP came out in 2020 and earned the duo a Grammy Award for Best Rap album. The second record in the series, released a year later, was also nominated but lost out to Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost.
Later in 2021, they released the surprise album Magic. They teased the arrival of King’s Disease 3 on the song, “Ugly.”
“I’m on offense every day until I see the love / KD3 on the way, this just to feed the buzz,” Nas rapped.
Last year, Nas explained the inspiration for King’s Disease II during an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music.
“The title was King’s Disease before this craziness happened,” Nas explained. “Watching all the terror happening all over the country, I just felt the knee on my neck and I felt the knee on our people and I felt like I needed a pride moment. I needed a moment to be happy about our existence, to have made it so far, and all the things that we have done as a people.”
Nas and Hit-Boy are due to drop King’s Disease 3 on November 11.
Drake is the most streamed artist of any genre in 2022, with NBA YoungBoy coming in at second place.
Hip-Hop is well represented in the rankings, according to HitsDailyDouble, making up over half of the top ten. Drake and NBA YoungBoy amassed over 12 billion streams alone and occupy the top two spots.
The 6 God surpassed other top-streaming acts, including Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, and The Weeknd, to take the No.1 slot. He achieved over 6.7 billion streams, a whopping 1.3 billion more than NBA YoungBoy, who sits in second place.
The Last Slimeto hitmaker is the only other artist with over five billion streams at 5.4B.
The late Juice WRLD comes in at No.6, exceeding 3.5 billion streams, while Kanye West, Future, and Lil Durk are also in the top ten.
Positions 11-20 are also dominated by Hip-Hop acts. Eminem just missed out on the Top. 10, with Rod Wave, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Post Malone, J. Cole, Doja Cat, and Kodak Black occupying the Top. 20.
NBA YoungBoy recently revealed his plans to drop another project and intends to have released ten mixtapes by the end of the year. He’s currently at the halfway point with plans to release the sixth project this week. YoungBoy announced the imminent arrival of Ma’ I Got a Family via a community post on YouTube on Monday. The forthcoming project is set to include between 13 and 17 tracks and is expected to drop later this week.
While Drake is a few projects behind NBA YoungBoy, he surprised his fans earlier this year with the unexpected release of his dance project, Honestly, Nevermind. The album earned Drizzy his eleventh US number-one album and broke several streaming records for a dance album.
Lil Baby is setting the record straight on the rumored beef that supposedly exists between himself and Migos.
Fans of the rappers speculated about an alleged fallout between the Quality Control labelmates, with some claiming offset got into it with a member of the 4PF crew. Others blamed the division on Baby’s rumored relationship with Quavo’s ex-girlfriend Saweetie.
However, according to Lil Baby, there is no beef with Migos. He addressed the rift rumors during a recent appearance on Posted on the Corner.
“Hell nah,” Lil Baby replied when questioned about any underlying issues between him and Migos. He elaborated, saying it’s not a topic he likes to discuss. “I be wanting to comment on that type of stuff, but when I comment on something, it just make it bigger,” he explained.
When the host suggested it was an opportunity for the “Right On” rapper to create his own narrative, Lil Baby doubled down. “You comment on something, it just make it bigger.”
He continued: “First of all, I really don’t see s### on the internet,” Baby continued. “Like, people send me s###, I don’t wanna comment, then I be… That’s just gon’ make it [bigger].”
Ultimately, Lil Baby says the is no Migos beef. “They know I don’t got nothin’ goin’ on with them.”
Meanwhile, Lil Baby could be celebrating this week if projections are accurate. His new album, It’s Only Me is forecast to debut at the No.1 spot and is on pace to sell around 210,000 total units first week. Stream the project below.
While it’s a proven fact that the world looks at Hip-Hop for fashion choices, a must-have element for a rapper’s designer wardrobe is the jewelry he rocks.
Some with some age on them might call it “trunk,” but the most popular term came from a 16-year-old rapper from New Orleans named Lil Wayne, who in the early 2000s came up with the term “Bling Bling.”
Pioneering rapper Slick Rick talked about his motivation for rocking ice in the new book, “Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History,” by Vikki Tobak.
The Ruler said, “Big pieces are my thing. On stage, I want the concertgoers and supporters to see and feel my pieces from the farthest seat in the house.”
The first-time people started noticing trunk jewelry was with rappers like Slick Rick, Run DMC, Rakim, LL Cool J, and Bid Daddy Kane. By the time Nas hopped on the scene, he had made it a point to get the biggest and the flashiest collection to pay homage to some of the artists he looked up to as a kid.
He even said his infamous “QB chain” inspired other rappers in his generation to start rocking large chains in his song, “Meet Joe Black.”
But the Queensbridge lyrical architect might have been trumped by Ghostface from Staten Island.
Slick Rick said when he saw the WuTang Clansman’s Versace plate and a 6-pound solid gold eagle on his wrist, “I was up in the stands clapping approvingly.”
The book features several generations of bling wearers, including Migos, Nicki Minaj, Lil Jon, ASAP Rocky, and even introduces people to Jacob Arabo, aka Jake the Jeweler.
“The jewelry grew as Hip-Hop grew and changed,” the author shared in her interview with CNN. “That’s why I start the book talking about this bigger cultural significance and what was happening in New York specifically at that time — the height of the drug trade, the ’80s. All of that stuff really reflected in the jewelry, and you had to have a certain level of respect and protection if you were going to wear that stuff in the street.”
Tobak also shares, “Jewelry culture is very regional, from New York to LA to the South. I do think Atlanta, being the more recent kingdom, really kind of puts those Southern aesthetics into it — doing things a little bigger, a little flashier, a little more laid-back, if you will. But the jewelry is on a whole different level only because they’re coming up at a time when there’s so much to be done in jewelry.”
Of all the people she has interviewed, including Beyonce, she said Cam’ron has her favorite story.
“Cam’ron had a piece made by Rafaello & Co very early on, and it was the spinning globe piece, which is a very famous piece. It had a working motor and actually spun, and it was considered a very unique piece for the 2000s for using multicolored gems and being round and just being this very ostentatious piece,” Tobak said.
“I guess years later, Cam’ron got a little bored of it and was going to trade it back in for something. A lot of times the jeweler would deconstruct a piece like that, which is crazy to me, but they would take all the gemstones out, they would melt down the gold and make something else,” she said.
“Lil Yachty got word that Cam’ron was getting rid of this piece, and it had been such an influential piece for him — he’s such a significant collector as well — and he came to the rescue and said: ‘Oh, my God, you can’t get rid of that piece. You can’t melt it down. I want it.’
“So he bought it and then he changed it to say, ‘Yachty’s World.’ Yeah. So, that piece was rescued and lived on, and it takes on this whole new generational meaning. I love that story,” she said.
Vikki Tobak’s “Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History,” published by Taschen, is now available.
Willow Smith can “definitely” see herself quitting music to become a full-time writer.
The star recently unveiled the novel “Black Shield Maiden,” a historical epic that she co-wrote with Jess Hendel.
The story follows an African warrior in the world of the Vikings.
Promoting her debut book in an interview for NME, Willow revealed that she is keen to do more writing.
“That could definitely could happen,” she smiled. “Who knows? I love books, I love reading so hopefully. I love reading, some of my favorite artists are authors. I just always wanted to be an author, even before I wanted to do music. I love literature, I just think it’s a really beautiful art form.”
“Black Shield Maiden” is now available to purchase.
Willow dropped her fifth studio album Coping Mechanism this month too, but she remained tight-lipped about her other upcoming projects.
“There’s always some random stuff I’m getting myself into but what I do know is that it’s going to be fire,” the 21-year-old added.
50 Cent continued to expand his Sire Spirits brand’s presence in the sports world.
The G-Unit rapper teamed with the Indiana Pacers to make Sire Spirits an official partner of the NBA team. 50 Cent’s G-Unity Foundation will also work with the Pacers to help youth in Indianapolis.
“This partnership with Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson and Sire Spirits gives us the opportunity to deliver new world-class experiences not only to our premium guests but to all visitors to Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the Indianapolis community, at large,” Pacers Sports and Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Rick Fuson said. “We look forward to working alongside Curtis and The G-Unity Foundation to improve the lives of our city’s young people while bringing Pacers fans Sire Spirit’s award-winning premium products.”
Earlier this year, 50 Cent secured similar deals with the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings. He also landed partnerships outside of the NBA, joining forces with the Houston Astros and Houston Texans.
“What impressed me most about the Pacers organization was its firm commitment to the community which will allow me to extend my charitable efforts into Indianapolis,” 50 Cent said. “I am also excited to have my brands featured at one of the country’s newest premier entertainment venues. I’m excited to be a part of the new development that Gainbridge Fieldhouse will bring to the city of Indianapolis. I look forward to meeting and spending time with the fans.”
Jadakiss announced the launch of his own coffee brand on Tuesday (October 18).
The Lox rapper teamed up with his father Bob Phillips and son Jaewon Phillips to create Kiss Café. The new line deepens Jadakiss’ family ties to the coffee industry, which his dad has been involved in since 1977.
“This coffee is for all coffee lovers,” Jadakiss said in a press release. “No specific age or background or knowledge. Coffee is a universal and a personal thing. Everyone enjoys it differently. And, we’re here to help them do that.”
His son Jaewon Phillips added, “It’s real. No gimmicks. It’s been in our family for well over 40 years and everything we do here is from the core.”
Jadakiss’ dad is the president and CEO of Caturra Corp, a boutique firm specializing in international green coffees. Bob Phillips called Kiss Café one of the proudest achievements in his personal and professional life.
“There is no greater honor than taking what you’ve learned in this life and inspiring your family to join you and bring that pursuit to the next level,” he said.
Jadakiss’ Kiss Café is available to purchase online. The brand currently offers Beijo, a medium-dark roast Arabica blend, for $14.99.
