ESPN analyst PK Subban faced backlash for body-shaming Lizzo on national television.
Subban, a former NHL player, referenced Lizzo while discussing the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers playoff series on Tuesday (May 2). ESPN anchor John Buccigross mentioned how the Maple Leafs needed to “pack a lunch,” which sparked Subban’s comments.
“Maybe they need to pack a Lizzo-sized lunch,” he said.
Subban’s remarks were met with criticism on social media. The hockey player-turned-analyst joined a long list of people who have body-shamed Lizzo during her career.
Last year, Kanye West mentioned Lizzo’s weight in an interview with Tucker Carlson. Ye suggested the media used her to promote obesity.
“When Lizzo loses 10 pounds and announces it, the bots … on Instagram, they attack her losing weight because the media wants to put out a perception that being overweight is the new goal when it’s actually unhealthy,” he said. “It’s demonic.”
“I feel like everybody in America got my m############ name in their m############ mouth for no m############ reason,” she said. “I’m minding my fat Black beautiful business.”
Subban hasn’t issued an apology for his comments about Lizzo.
Check out some of the reactions to Subban’s remarks below.
The disgusting people enjoying PK Subban’s comment about Lizzo are exactly WHY he should have kept his mouth shut.
I’ve been a PK fan and supporter from day one – but his recent comments on Pride and now this? I don’t see him the same way anymore. This is not okay. pic.twitter.com/1Y2lqow49G
Now I don’t talk about people’s mama’s. But I’m gagging that PK Subban on NATIONAL TV tryna shade @lizzo, and the woman that gave birth to him, is also what looks like a full figured black woman as well. The audacity. pic.twitter.com/z5ZnjmnVyn
Famous Dex never responded to a lawsuit over a stolen watch, leading to a default judgment in the case.
According to MyNewsLA, a Los Angeles judge approved a man’s request for default judgment in the lawsuit on Tuesday (May 2). Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teresa A. Beaudet agreed to sign off on a $49,000 ruling in favor of Michael Francati, who sued Famous Dex in 2021.
Francati accused the rapper of stealing his luxury watch and lying to the police about it. Francati sued for theft, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment. He previously asked to be awarded $172,586.
Famous Dex allegedly drove away with Francati’s watch after the plaintiff allowed the rapper to display it on Instagram. The Chicago-bred artist claimed four men stole the watch in a robbery, which Francati reported to the police.
Francati wound up in handcuffs after calling the cops. Famous Dex allegedly told the police Francati staged the robbery. Francati saw the rapper showing off the watch later that night.
Last month, Famous Dex announced he’s been sober for 11 months.
“I’m not doing drugs no more,” he said. “I’ve been drug-clean for 11 months. I’m happy and healthy.”
Many people are throwing their support behind the crypto-punk rapper Spottie Wifi.
Particularly around his new ten-track album “The King’s Alpha,” he is getting the co-sign of some of Hip-Hop’s most recognizable icons. And they are rocking with him because they saw how he shifted culture in the middle of the pandemic.
In 2021, he sold 2000 NFT albums generating $192K in under sixty seconds as an independent artist.
Now, with new project, he has names like Snoop Dogg, Bun B and others waving his banner.
Additional features include Gold-Rilla, DJ Mal-Ski, Champ Medici, October London, We$, Alan Kingdom, Alec King, Bart Oatmeal, and Psalm One.
On one track, Bun B raps “To me an NFT means Nobody F#####’ Triller” and breaks down how he has also made financial moves in the cryptocurrency sector.
Promoting the intersection of rap and cryptocurrency has been what Spottie WiFi has been about for years.
Recently, before dropping his new album that came out on Friday, April 28, he dropped the first single “Buy The Dips” in collaboration with Jim Jones.
Check out the video for “BTD.”
According to a press release, “’Buy The Dips’ is a message to the Hip-Hop culture that the metaverse and cryptocurrency can last in the post-COVID world.”
If you get the chance to speak with 19Keys, you’ll probably leave with some sort of wisdom or information that will enhance your overall quality of life. Born in St. Louis but raised in Oakland, real name Jibrial Muhammad isaninfluential thought leader, speaker, author, entrepreneur, producer, and director — here to teach you about finances, the science of the mind, and the power of self.
Directly inspired by his experiences growing up, 19Keys speaks on his inspiration as “the trauma that we lived through, the trauma that we experienced. Wanting to be my own savior, in a sense to where in our community, we’re always looking for another savior. But I decided to save myself. I’ma build up myself, develop my mind, develop myself financially, hire my family. Be the example of the things I wanted to see in a neighborhood in the world, when we didn’t have them. That’s a double inspiration, getting it from my ancestors and all those who came before me. But I walk my own path.”
19Keys is someone who always aims to inspire and empower others to unlock their full potential, to their highest level. Which is also the name of his own podcast called High Level Conversations, created as a platform for powerful discussions on topics such as financial literacy, self-development, the future of technology, and cultural empowerment. To date, 19Keys has had special guests such as Joey Badass, Dame Dash, Chaka Bars, Billy Carson, and more.
Additionally, 19 Keys owns multiple businesses, including Goldewater which is a health company in which he hires direct family.
AllHipHop spoke with 19Keys in downtown Los Angeles to discuss his upbringing, starting his own business after leaving his 6-figure job, his name, the courses he offers, thoughts on AI, his podcast, love for hip Hop, and more!
AllHipHop: Growing up in Oakland and St. Louis, were you in the streets as a kid?
19Keys: It’s funny. We were in the streets because we grew up in those neighborhoods, in Oakland and St. Louis. At the same time, I’ve always had a level of consciousness and awareness about what I was doing, and about the state of the world. While we’re in the conditions, while we do crimes. But when you’re in an environment, environment is stronger than nature, so we got caught up in the same rhythms that everybody did.
AllHipHop: What did you want to be, career-wise?
19Keys: The same thing any child wanted to be: a lawyer, a doctor, a fireman, a scientist, something of that nature. But I remember distinctly as a child, always having an innate feeling that I was destined to change the world in some capacity. The world robs you of that dream, as you grow older and tell you to think about things more realistic. But as I continued to develop myself, that feeling came back, and I found it in a way of speaking or teaching.
AllHipHop: How did you get into this field?
19Keys: I was hired a few times, before I even had a social media following. The children in this organization at Chabot College, they asked me to come up there and speak. They told their program directors. I had 400, 500 followers on Instagram, but they had seen me on my daily motions. I fired my job, started me a business. I documented my daily journey.
AllHipHop: You fired your job?
19Keys: Yeah I fired them. You fire your job when they no longer fit. They can no longer afford me. I stole all the experience that I could.
AllHipHop: What were you working?
19Keys: I was working for Prada, I was making six figures. I was doing sales, things of that nature. I was really good at it, probably the best they’ve ever had.
AllHipHop: I’ve never heard someone say they fired their job.
19Keys: Yeah, it’s a two-way street. We don’t learn the lexicon of language. A job can fire you, you can fire them when it’s no longer working out. I fired them, started my own business. Took that experience for myself, I had a store in Oakland.
AllHipHop: What was the store?
19Keys: It was a clothing store, but it was mixed. I made art, we had glasses, everything was all my designs. We had everything from jackets, ready to wear things made from scratch. Everything had a meaning, it was a very powerful store. It was becoming a little landmark people could come to.
AllHipHop: What was it called?
19Keys: It was called Musahill. Musahill comes from this story of this man who civilized savages. He had to take them over this hill, in order to get them to finally listen to his teachings. We created Musahill because in the story, he had to do something violent to get their attention, because that’s all the savages respected. Musahill was about being able to curate that knowledge and that symbol, without having something violent or negative happening. Instead, it was all about representing, getting over that Musahill and living in your daily basis.
AllHipHop: How’d you get your name, 19Keys?
19Keys: 19 Keys comes from Master Fard Muhammad. He was the one who taught Elijah Muhammad. Elijah Muhammad was the one who taught Malcolm X, Minister Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam, so on and so forth. He had a quote in the 1930’s, he said “there’s 17 million original people, and there’s two million Indians. That represents the 19 million rusty locks.” He said “there’s 19 million well-oiled keys to unlocking those rusty locked minds. That well-oiled key was interchangeable for knowledge of self, awareness, enlightenment, so that other people can never be oppressed again. I took on that moniker as a representation of the work that I do is all about enlightening the minds.
AllHipHop: Talk about the courses you offer.
19Keys: We have several different ones. The main one I teach right now, that I’m passionate about is mental engineering. Mental engineering is teaching people about the customization of self. We’re all different by various degrees. But most people take general information, try to learn and apply to themselves without actually knowing who you are. In this class, we teach you everything from your personality types, your intelligence type, even teaching you how to identify childhood traumas. Learning how to learn.
We also teach Web3 and technologies, such as AI, creative intelligence, how to use it. I say 80% mindset, 20% skill set. A right mindset, you can master any skill set. A truly transformational mind is one who knows how to critically think, knows how to problem solve. Not just knows how to identify new technologies, but knows how to use them in creative ways and what to do with them. We teach you how to be willfully emotional resilience. It’s really about tapping into the highest level of yourself.
AllHipHop: What are your thoughts on AI? Because I feel there could be negative impact…
19Keys: Every technological advancement has a negative side to it. Look at social media. We’re constantly using social media to talk about the negative impacts that AI will have, but my social media has already had dark impacts. They put together all kinds of documentaries, movies, and there’s science that backs us up. But there’s a lot of positives that come from it as well. I’d never want social media technology to go back into the box. Because without it, you don’t get individuals such as myself. You don’t get certain political movements of women’s rights. You don’t get so many different things, because media education was not democratized at first.
I believe that anytime we have an advancement of technology, it can have the benefit of those who are at the bottom if they learn how to use it to rise to the top. At the same time, those at the top have the leverage already. They have the ability to use it because they have the resources. It’s up to the poor class to try to use it to rise out their conditions. AI is nothing but a system that’s built off natural intelligence, built on our prefrontal cortex. If it’s built on the way that we think, it’s nothing to fear because we already have that within us. People fear replacement, because they probably weren’t advancing parts of their own human thinking.
AllHipHop: When do you start the High Level Conversations podcast? How’s it been?
19Keys: We started a little over a year ago. It’s become a cultural phenomenon. We’ve passed 30 million views now. We have episodes that have become really classic within our culture. It’s been the greatest way to spread the movement of enlightenment really. That’s what it’s all about, the highest level human beings reach from enlightenment to shame. Shame, you don’t like what you do or you feel guilty. Enlightenment is when you release all of that, you can actualize self and reality.
A lot of the things we teach or we talk about with the different guests on the show, we make it a visual experience. You’re watching a show/documentary/podcast. We put a lot of production value in it. You get the b-roll, you get the sound effects, the quotes, all the texts. It’s a beautiful show. We have scientists, we have philosophers, we have athletes, we have rappers. We have all minds and personalities from all across the world.
AllHipHop: What was the point when you were able to turn into a profitable business?
19Keys: That’s a good question. All my businesses start off as profitable, to be honest. The last one of creating a media company with High Level Media for High Level Conversations was the most capital intense one, that we had to wait to start turning profit. I’ll look at it very simple: we’re in a completely different day in age than we’ve ever been. Your margin is your percentage of winnings you can get. If I got a product that cost me $1, I’ma do 300% markup. I’ma sell it at $3. Because I might have to pay staff, might have to do product, might have to do marketing with a couple of those dollars.
For me, I start businesses off profitably. It didn’t get to where you’re going to have significant growth till I started the family business. My family business is a health company. We sell Goldewater, colloidal silvers, mushrooms such as Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps. Things that stimulate the mind and the body. Once I did that and I was able to hire family, that’s when I was able to reach a level of success. Because I created a business that didn’t just serve me.
It served my family and the world.
AllHipHop: So you hired your family?
19Keys: Yeah. Moms, dads, sisters, brothers, cousins, younger brothers. That one’s been beautiful.
AllHipHop: How proud are they of you?
19Keys: Man, I’m pretty sure they’re pretty happy. Because they don’t gotta work for anybody else. Now they got the opportunity to experience life, with a little less pressure. I’m not saying I’m making them rich, but I’m giving them a foundation to chase their other dreams as well.
AllHipHop: You seem like a very health-conscious individual. What do you do daily to take care of your mental health and your health?
19Keys: One of the things I like to do is breathe. I don’t think people really breathe. I’ll take a lot of time out of my day to just stop. [inhales] They got what you call a double breath. The double breath is when you fill your lungs all the way up, then take another one. What it does is it fills all the pockets of your lungs and clears off all the carbon dioxide. It destresses your body instantly.
Beyond that, a little bit of meditation. Getting you some sun at the beginning of the day, and possibly towards the end of the day. At peak hours, it resets your own body and destresses you. Then, I stay away from suckers. When you stay sucker-free, you become stress-free. Drink water. 88% of Americans don’t drink water now, they came out with the statistic. People replace it with drinks and soda. People are not hydrating the body. We’re 70% to 90% water, so we have to rehydrate so that electricity throughout the body can flow. You have a thirsty society. [laughs] In many ways.
AllHipHop: Talk about your love for Hip Hop and how it ties into everything you do.
19Keys: Hip Hop raised me in many different ways. If you grew up how I grew up, Hip Hop was always an unofficial big brother or uncle in the household. Because it has a major influence from seeing the rappers: how they dress, how they spoke. I remember watching the Lil Wayne performance when he came out, the song called “Gossip.” I remember seeing him exclaim he’s the best. At a certain point in time, the world believed it. What I felt like I was watching was confidence and manifestation, in reality. The lessons that I got from that: if you believe in yourself, the rest of the world will believe in you.
Hip Hop showed us a lot of young men and women who came from poverty, who was able to style their way into success, just by thinking it. With nothing but sheer voice and breadth. That was different from somebody telling you you have to be a lawyer or a doctor. Music is therapy. When you’re going through something, you can catch a vibration and it’s a frequency attached to it, it can get you through some of your worst moments. To your best ones.
AllHipHop: Who are some of your favorite artists?
19Keys: Kanye West was the first album I bought. Younger, it was definitely mixtape Wayne. Then we got Jay. Being from the Bay, we had The Jacka.
AllHipHop: I’m from the Bay, I was hoping you’d say The Jacka or Mac Dre.
19Keys: The Jacka for sure. Because The Jacka was the first street Muslim. That I was able to hear, see myself in the raps. He’d be talking about the streets, but then he’d be talking about some Islam at the same time. It was always an interesting combination. That was his whole entire persona. I even liked Lupe Fiasco when I was younger. I used to listen to the lyrics for the logic in it, what he would say? How dope it was for him to be able to put it together. The Nas’, the Kendrick’s, the Cole’s. My younger brothers: Anpu, JackHellaClassic. Those are my favorites growing up.
AllHipHop: Talk about the Highest Lvl Tour, how excited are you?
19Keys: I’m excited because something like this ain’t really been done. Somebody such as myself, a young guy, a thought leader, being able to go on tour and accumulate a community of people coming out there for a different vibration than they’re used to. Everybody knows you go to a concert, you go to the club, you can go hear somebody rapping and you catch a vibe for a second. But what if you catch that same vibe, and you learn something to better yourself?
You’re around an environment of people that’s high level at the same time, then you go back home and that’s your night. We give you a new experience and a new culture. We’re magnifying all the people that’s high level in your city, they’re coming together for one night. Those are the people you need to tap in with. Those are the people bettering themselves. Those are the people who’re doing business. Those are the people with that higher level Echelon in life. We’re attracting the leaders around the world, not the followers. Listen, it starts off at the Apollo Theater on May 4th.
AllHipHop: On your birthday right?
19Keys: Yeah, on my born day. Big Taurus season! Y’all will know who the special guest is afterwards. I can’t let people know now, but it’s gon’ be different. It’s gon’ be special. One of them ones.
AllHipHop: So they don’t know who the special guest is until day of?
19Keys: Nah, you just gotta show up. If you rock with it, show up. I’m that type of person, I only want the real there. I don’t want people because we advertise it, it’s super special. If you knew about it, don’t be like “oh I knew but I didn’t go. I wish I could have.” I don’t want you there then. I want the people who recognize how special it is in the moment, not after the moment has passed. I’m bringing my tribe together, it’s high level culture.
AllHipHop: Any goals for yourself at this point of your career?
19Keys: I got habits, I don’t have goals. Practicing what I preach. Anytime I have a thought I want, I gotta write it down. I gotta execute it into reality. I gotta build strong teams around me so that any goal we have, we can get done. I rewrite, execute on a daily basis. I focus on the present, but I’m always future-oriented. This tour has been in the making for years. We have technology that’s going to be coming out. We have festivals we’re going to be doing. We have centers, collaborations, movies, all those things. Those are goals, but the habit of me constantly mastering myself so that when that time comes: we have the budget, we have the relationships, we have the network. We know how to build those systems. That to me is what I’m focused on right now: being a person that can accomplish the goal, rather than being the person that has the goal.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
19Keys: I’d love to see a new level of Hip Hop come about, because I believe the rap culture is no longer teaching us the best ways to live. It’s no longer projecting the future we want to see as a culture. It reflects negativity and people create songs for the money. If AI takes over rappers, so be it because at least they’re not killing nobody, or at least influencing the world to kill. We’ve seen things like the King Von documentary, to where we got a culture that celebrates death. We need a culture that celebrates life. That ain’t gangsta to hunt down your brother. That ain’t gangsta only uphold negative values.
Nah, the culture of Hip Hop gotta go back to its foundation where we’re building out culture for something that’s positive. Once we change what they call a lyrical form, and individuals that do put out good music, such as my brother Anpu, LaRussell, Symba, Jay Electronica. Whoever it may be, we gotta support those artists. Because the radio’s not going to support them. The only way they grow right is if the fans that respect the music, actually spend the music, stream the music, share the music. When they do things, you have to support that so people like Coast Contra create a completely new culture. Where it’s like damn, then that becomes the influence. I always say you want the most positive people in the world to have the most money. Right now, we see what happens when negative and devils got money. But what happens when the gods got money again? We get to fund our mind and fund the culture the way we want to see things.
After being exiled from the streets, it seems that rapper 6ix9ine has started kicking it with people outside of entertainment, in an area that some believe will save the world.
Social media has long witnessed him giving out money to those in need throughout his travels, but now he is not tossing hundreds of dollars to the poor. He has placed his stamp on a guy who made millions bringing awareness to an environmental issue.
The “Gummo” rapper has connected with clean energy advocate Anthony Malascalza and called him the hottest brand in America.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoDvMhOg-TS/
Malascalza captured the shout-out and put it up on his Instagram, calling the rainbow-haired rapper “the goat” using an emoji.
Both of the men grew up poor and have achieved massive wealth, according to the Miami Herald, and now have an opportunity to give back.
Malascalza is in the business of marketing and selling clean energy door-to-door, boasting a company that was able to pull in $10 million in sales in one year.
He also has a 15-man staff and hired 100 contractors to help with the work. One reason he was able to succeed in the space is because he took a chance on himself.
“I felt like I gained enough experience, wisdom, and money to take on the energy deregulation industry on my own,” said Malascalza. “Even if it meant I had to rely on myself for everything, I did it. I purchased my office space, worked more hours than ever, and started building my brand.”
On the social media post, gave his new friend a boost, saying to fans, “So, make sure you check them out.”
There have been recent reports about LL Cool J not being invited to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Brunch. First of all, most of us are not invited and also most of us are not a peerless legend in Hip-Hop like LL Cool J. LL recently speculated that he believes he has not been invited because he once laughed at Jay-Z when he was a teenage rapper. There’s only a couple years between these guys age-wise. I suppose a teen LL could have fronted on Jay or something. But I am not so sure that is the issue.
Here’s the video of LL talking.
LL joked, “I love everybody. I don’t have no problems with none of these guys, man. If I laughed, okay, so what? Laugh at me. How many people have you laughed at or snapped on in the lunch room? Come on, B. Give your man a pass on that nonsense, man. This is ridiculous. I don’t even remember it. I laughed at you so now I can’t have no brunch? I can’t have no finger food?”
Sounds like LL really does want to go to the Roc Nation brunch. I think there’s more to it.
LL Cool J and Jay-Z had a seemingly cool relationship, but it hit a rough patch in 2006. LL eventually left the label he helped build, Def Jam. At the time, Jay was the president of the iconic recording house, but The Legend In Leather felt unappreciated and taken for granted. When Jay-Z became el presidente, he seemed to favor the younger acts more than the King. In a 2007 interview on VH1’s Behind the Music, LL expressed his frustration, saying, “That hurt. That was painful, and that created a lot of bruised blood in my spirit.”
Jay-Z stepped down in 2006, but it seemed like the damage was done. The word is 50 Cent had to mediate peace between LL and Jay. That’s weird. I wonder if that is true? I remember when they were both at an awards show and LL was giving Jay the iciest grill I had ever seen. Then everything was cool! I am not sure if LL was purposefully overlooked or he simply is one of the stars that simply has not been invited to the biggest brunch in urban America.
LL has so much going on, tours, Rock The Bells and more. Jay and he are doing the dang thing. Salute.
Amidst a nasty child custody trial, rapper Roddy Ricch has been accused of drug abuse— an accusation that could cause a potential block in the case and persuade the court to side with his children’s mother.
The “Ballin” chart-topper, whose real name is Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr., has a three-year-old child with Alexandra Kiser, however, their happy family is experiencing turbulent times, according to Radar Online.
She alleges, not only does she want full custody, but is seeking $20,000 a month in child support for the toddler’s care.
Kiser’s attorney says he can afford it because he is so rich.
“(He) is a very successful and highly paid entertainer who goes by the name of Roddy Ricch. He has a net worth of approximately $25,000,000. He commands fees of $500,000 for appearances,” the court documents filed on her behalf read.
She claimed in court that she believes he made $10 million in 2022.
The child’s mother says the rapper chooses his career over their child, missing milestone moments.
Her complaint states her baby daddy “lives his life without any regard to his parental obligation or responsibility to spend time” with their child.
“Rodrick misses important holidays with him, including this past holiday season,” she told the court. “I was hurt to find out on Christmas Eve when he came back from his trip that he hadn’t gotten or planned anything for our son for Christmas.”
While she says the rap star doesn’t spend time with his child anyway, she also says he is a drug addict, addicted to a sedative called Promethazine.
She is also hoping a judge blocks him from evicting her and the child from the home he pays for and stopping payments on the car to get her and the child around.
“He also leased the car for me in June of 2020 as a birthday gift and now wants me to pay for that as well. Rodrick opened a bank account for me last year with his bank so that he could send support to me more easily but money has never been deposited into that account,” she claimed.
Roddy Ricch has not commented on the custody trial.
He did tweet, “Allow nothing to disturb your peace,” which could be a subliminal shot at Kiser.
Of course I am happy with anybody that is also happy. At the same time, I realize this is the end of the dream in my head. The dream that I would have a path to be with Ashanti.
Nelly and Ashanti were spotted together in Las Vegas last month, hand in hand. According to sources with ET, the couple is “very happy” and “really enjoying their time together.” During the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight, the two were seen walking through T-Mobile Arena.
They also performed their hit “Body on Me” at a pool party like teenage lovers. The singers had an on-again, off-again romance that officially ended in 2014 but now appear to have reconciled. Nelly shared that time has allowed them to reflect on their past and see things differently, leading to their current friendship and romantic connection. Ashanti previously played coy when asked about the possibility of them getting back together.
At the end of the day, Ashanti wants that baby and Nelly is the man to give it to her. Could have been an illseed, but that’s for another life. Anyway! God bless and nobody can be feeling worse that Irv Gotti. He said some weird, nasty stuff about our Ashanti! But she has found her peace anyway. Lets pray that Nelly does right by her and we all get to see another royal couple emerge.
Tory Lanez is behind the wall after being convicted of shooting Megan Thee Stallion. But the rapper made a preemptive move before his incarceration. He recorded a song, which just dropped. On “Ginobili,” the rapper melodically rhymes to his detractors. He does not specify, but it certainly feels like he’s talking about the high profile case. “All of you n#ggas that s###### on me, I promise you’ll reap what you sow,” he spews. The Canadian-born artists faces up to 22 years in prison and deportation.
This week, Chance The Rapper officially announced Acid Rap concerts at the Barclays Center in New York City on August 26 and at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on September 21.
Acid Rap dropped in April 2013. The groundbreaking project featured BJ the Chicago Kid, Vic Mensa, Twista, Saba, Childish Gambino, Action Bronson, Noname, and more acts.
Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap earned a Best Mixtape nomination at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards. The reviews website Metacritic lists Acid Rap with an 86/100 score which signifies universal acclaim.
In addition, then-President Barack Obama added the Acid Rap track “Acid Rain” to his 2016 Summer Playlist. Chance rereleased Acid Rap on streaming services in June 2019. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart that year.
Thirteen acts will enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 Class. Hip Hop representatives Missy Elliott and DJ Kool Herc made the final list for this year.
Audacy interviewed Greg Harris, the CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, about the latest inductees. In particular, Harris reflected on the two Hip Hop selections during that conversation.
“We have roughly a dozen Hip Hop artists in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and Missy is the first [female rapper],” said Greg Harris. “This was her first year of eligibility. She went right in. First-year nominated, first-year eligible.”
Greg Harris added, “Such a unique sound – groundbreaking, pioneering, and influential. And so we’re thrilled she’s in.” Virginia native Missy Elliott burst onto the music scene with her classic 1997 album Supa Dupa Fly.
Many music historians recognize DJ Kool Herc as one of the original creators of Hip Hop culture. Hip Hop enthusiasts often cite Herc’s “Back to School Jam” on August 11, 1973, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in The Bronx, as the starting point of Hip Hop.
“I do think because it’s the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop and we have the godfather, the founder, Kool Herc, going in, and the event is in New York… I think we should expect something like that as at least part of the show,” said Greg Harris about a possible Hip Hop tribute at the upcoming Rock Hall ceremony.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will formally induct Missy Elliott, DJ Kool Herc, and the rest of the Class of 2023 on November 3 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
According toEntertainment Tonight, the St. Louis-bred rhymer and New York native have rekindled their relationship. A source told the outlet, “Nelly and Ashanti are back together and both of them are very happy.”
Nelly and Ashanti first began dating in 2003. They supposedly met at a press conference for that year’s Grammy Awards ceremony. The two Grammy winners called it quits 10 years later.
Ashanti addressed the gossip of a potential rekindling of a romance with Nelly during a December 2022 episode of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live. A viewer asked Ashanti about the viral clip of her performing with Nelly in Vegas.
“I saw a lot of comments and my reaction was… wow,” Ashanti said about possibly reconnecting with her ex-boyfriend. “It was a lot of comments and a lot of people wanting that. What I will say is we’re in a better place.”
Dominique “Lil Baby” Jones continues to partner with the AXE brand. On July 11, the Atlanta native and AXE will launch a new manga titled Shonen Baby.
Fans can only access Lil Baby’s upcoming “digital art experience” by purchasing an AXE product from the Fine Fragrance Collection at Walmart. They will then receive Shonen Baby as a downloadable digital comic.
“Manga is incredibly popular among our guys, and we know how much of a manga fan Lil Baby is,” says Caroline Gregory, Global Brand Director at AXE.
Gregory continues, “We wanted to bring fans closer to the Lil Baby universe, scaling up our presence in the metaverse through a fresh and interactive digital experience to showcase all that the AXE Fine Fragrance Collection has to offer.”
AXE released a 15-second teaser for Shonen Baby on the company’s YouTube channel. In addition, the July 11 virtual launch event will feature exclusive clips from Baby and a Q&A with the creative team behind the manga.
“I’m a huge anime fan because that genre tells powerful stories with a lot of energy and action,” says Lil Baby.
He adds, “I was all in on the chance to co-produce an AXE manga. I got to flex my creative skills and share another part of my story. I hope people enjoy this other medium from me.”
Memphis-bred rapper GloRilla sparked an online debate yesterday. One tweet from the “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” hitmaker went viral.
“Being da smartest person in da room is NOT a flex 💯,” tweeted GloRilla on Wednesday morning. That post collected over 3.8 million views on the Twitter platform.
GloRilla did not elaborate on her take, but she did return to Twitter to double down on her point. The Interscope recording artist wrote, “And if you think it’s a flex, [it] says a lot about you, 😂😂d######.”
2022’s “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” became GloRilla’s breakout song. The collaboration with record producer Hitkidd peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “F.N.F.” earned Glo her first Grammy nomination.
GloRilla followed up “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” by dropping “Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B. That Gold-certified single debuted at No. 9 on the Hot 100 and remained on the chart for twenty-two weeks.
The trailblazing artist acknowledged the significance of the historic achievement in a series of social media posts. She also expressed her gratitude following the Class of 2023 announcements Wednesday (May 3).
“I want to say this is HUGE not for just me but all my Sisters in HIPHOP,” Missy Elliott declared. “This door is now OPEN to showcase the hard work & what many of us contribute to MUSIC. I have cried all morning because I am GRATEFUL thank you.”
After admitting “I can’t stop crying,” Missy Elliott also took the time to congratulate the other music icons welcomed into the Hall of Fame. Among them, Chaka Khan, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine, and many more.
“I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to all the other LEGENDARY artist who will now be inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” she penned. “They have committed DECADES of hard work and IMPACT on music. I thank you for the TIMELESS music you have shared with the World.”
In a follow-up tweet, Missy Elliott thanked God and her supporters for giving her the strength to persevere.
“It’s times I have gotten on line & seen your irrelevant your a flop your washed up & it would crush me at times. BUT God you made me STRONG I kept going & you allowed my decades of WORK to SPEAK 4 itself. I am HUMBLED thank you all my Supporters. I LOVE YOU.” Read her tweets below.
I want to say this is HUGE not for just me but all my Sisters in HIPHOP this door is now OPEN to showcase the hard work & what many of us contribute to MUSIC. I have cried all morning because I am GRATEFUL thank you @rockhall & all on the committee & Supafriends💜 https://t.co/agHv7puauj
I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to all the other LEGENDARY artist who will now be inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame👑 They have committed DECADES of hard work and IMPACT on music I thank you for the TIMELESS music you have shared with the World🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾💜 https://t.co/w1NbHM7oVM
It’s times I have gotten on line & seen your irrelevant your a flop your washed up & it would crush me at times🥺BUT God you made me STRONG I kept going & you allowed my decades of WORK to SPEAK 4 itself🙏🏾 I am HUMBLED thank you all my Supporters💜 I LOVE YOU💜 pic.twitter.com/gkHUttWoU5
Janet Jackson & Ciara Pay Tribute To Missy Elliott
The Portsmouth, Virginia native was congratulated by some of her famous friends, including Janet Jackson. “I’m SO proud of you sis!!!! 😘😘😘,’ she tweeted.
Ciara also hopped on Twitter to thank Missy Elliott for inspiring her fellow artists.
“You deserve it all! Will never stop thanking you for the inspiration you give us all! I love you so much!,” wrote Ciara.
Congratulations to my sis @MissyElliott on being inducted into the @rockhall!! You deserve it all! Will never stop thanking you for the inspiration you give us all! I love you so much! pic.twitter.com/FJffNr00UH
Snoop Dogg said artists should take a leaf out of the striking writers‘ book and take action over streaming models.
The Death Row honcho showed solidarity with the Writers Guild of America strike over compensation, questioning, “where the f### is the money.” He addressed the topic during a panel with his business partner Gamma’s Larry Jackson and Shirley Halperin, Variety‘s executive music editor.
“[Artists] need to figure it out the same way the writers are figuring it out,” Snoop stated. “The writers are striking because [of] streaming, they can’t get paid. Because when it’s on the platform, it’s not like in the box office.”
Snoop Dogg Asks “Where The F### Is The Money?”
He continued, “I don’t understand how the f### you get paid off of that s###. Somebody explain to me how you can get a billion streams and not get a million dollars?… That’s the main gripe with a lot of us artists is that we do major numbers… but it don’t add up to the money. Like where the f### is the money?” Check out the clip below and watch the panel at the end of the page.
Last month, Snoop Dogg announced a partnership with Gamma that includes a long-term licensing agreement. The multimedia platform now has exclusive global rights to market and distribute the Death Row Records catalog. During the Milken Institutes’ Global Conference panel, Larry Jackson discussed Gamma’s “revolutionary” compensation structure.
“Snoop could’ve gone to any three of [the major labels]… but [he] would be getting paid on a biannual basis. But now [that Gamma] has the… financial analytics dashboard, we’re paying Snoop once a month,” Jackson explained. “There are certain artists that are coming to our distribution company and getting paid once a week — you gotta understand how revolutionary this is, this doesn’t exist in the music business like this.”
The Gamma founder also opened up about royalty rates and streams on YouTube Shorts, claiming they received $16,000 for 500 million streams.
“YouTube, y’all m############ need to break bread or fake dead,” Snoop Dogg replied.
Timbaland has embraced artificial intelligence (AI) technology to make his dream collaboration a reality.
The superproducer always wanted to work with The Notorious B.I.G. but never got the chance before the legendary Brooklyn rapper’s untimely passing. Nonetheless he used AI to produce a deep fake Biggie song over an original Timbaland beat.
Timbaland acknowledged the significant issues AI technology presents but believes he has an answer. He took to Instagram Wednesday (May 3), to share the song while espousing the potential benefits of the new tech.
“We know that it’s a lot of talk about AI and feelings of violating certain things,” Timbaland explained. “But let me tell you something. I got a solution, we’re working on it.”
He continued, “It’s gon’ be beneficial to everybody but in the meantime, I got to share something I’ve been working on because I always wanted to do this, and I never got the chance to. I always wanted to work with Big and I never got a chance to until today. It came out right. PLAY!” said Timbaland before previewing the song.
Check out the track where a deep fake Biggie raps about other slain rappers.
While fans in Timbaland’s comments section were divided, Snoop Dogg is clear about cloning dead rappers’ voices to make new music.
Last month the Death Row honcho was asked about a possible AI-generated Biggie and Tupac album.
“I don’t really know about that, with the AI,” he told Baller Alert. “Because, that’s kinda like, computerized voices. You know? [But] I think if they can find some old tracks with their vocals, and put them together, that sounds better to me.”
Desiigner has updated fans after checking himself into a mental health facility after being hit with charges for allegedly exposing himself during a flight.
The “Panda” rapper took to Instagram on Wednesday night (May 3), revealing he checked in to a facility last week but still wants to give his fans the music he’s been working on over the past year.
“I turned 26 today and i want to thank ya’ll for holding me down,” Desiigner began. “I admitted myself into a facility last week to focus on my mental health. But before that i had planned to release TIIMMY TURNER 2 this week as a surprise to my fans. I recorded this joint a while ago and it reflects on where i’ve been mentally over the past year.”
Desiigner explained he asked his team to drop the song Friday (May 5) as a birthday gift to his fans. “Sorry i can’t promote it the way i like to cause i’m off the grid,” he added. “But i just want to give you some new music while i take time away to become a better me. ”
He continued, “I’m going through a tough time right now but i won’t let my struggles define who i am. I will come back stronger and make more music that connects with all of you on a deeper level.” Desiigner concluded by urging others to seek help if their suffering from mental health issues. Read his post below.
Desiigner Facing Criminal Charges After Admitting To Masturbating During Flight
The Brooklyn native reportedly faces indecent exposure charges after allegedly masturbating on a plane and revealing himself to multiple people. Flight attendants allegedly told him several times to stop before friends escorted the rapper to the back of the plane.
After landing, he allegedly told authorities the incident occurred because he “didn’t really get much cootie” while in Japan.
Heem, a member of BSF, concluded his 2020 by releasing his Long Story Short project. Since then, he has been active by contributing to several tracks, including DJ Premier’s “Times Is Rough” and Grafh’s “Promise.” On May 12, he is set to unveil his second album, titled “From The Cradle To The Game.” For the album’s lead track, he collaborated with Conway The Machine and Stove God Cooks, both of whom are favorites of DopeHouse. The result of their collaboration is “Cocaine County,” which serves as a preview of the upcoming project.
What TF is going on? I swear to God, this country is going to hell in a hand basket. I cannot really conceptualize what it is to murder somebody that this ex-marine found out. Apparently, it is legal to kill Black homeless people, because the man walked with no charges at the time of this writing.
According to eye-witness, disturbing videos on social media, a homeless man was murdered on the New York City subway on Wednesday after being put in a chokehold for 15 minutes (15 MINUTES? TWICE AND MUCH TIME AS GEORGE FLOYD!!!!). The man must think he’s a hero because he referred to himself as a vigilante. For those of you that don’t know the English language, a vigilante is somebody that takes the law in his/her/their own hands.
The victim, the homeless man, has been identified as Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old Black man, who was asking people on the train for food. According to reports, Neely became “aggressive” and started screaming at people, according to witnesses. Neely also reportedly said he didn’t care about going to jail and threw his jacket on the ground.
A white passenger, the unnamed ex-marine, then put Neely in a chokehold, killing him according to witnesses. Remember 15 minutes. EMS workers tried to revive him after the brazen assault, but Neely did not make it. Juan Alberto Vasquez told the New York Post that they did not think the brother was going to die and that he had simply “passed out or ran out of air.” He also said Neely had not posed a physical threat to anyone.
And yet, the still unnamed 24-year-old white a$$ ex-Marine was taken in custody and released without charges. Why didn’t Jonathan Majors get this treatment? Anyway, this is BS. I will say this, they are talking about charging him. This is all BS and nonsense to me! That is straight up murder!
