Drake is playing the proud husband to Sexyy Red’s mom-to-be in his new self-directed “Rich Baby Daddy” music video, which sees SZA take on the role of protective bestie.
In the visuals, released on Valentine’s Day (February 14,) Drake cosplays a suburbanite who’s recently moved out of the hood, documenting the first stages of wedded bliss with his new wife via his old-school camcorder.
The six-and-a-half-minute-long video sees the couple celebrate New Year’s together before the pregnant rapper’s waters break. An excited Drake continues to film in great detail while SZA chastises him.
The trio head off to the hospital to deliver their verses, and the baby, as more friends join them to celebrate the birth of their little one.
SZA was also on hand to help Sexyy Red announce her real-life pregnancy back in October while the St. Louis native was on her Hood Hottest Princess Tour.
Sexyy Red also hit the road on Drake’s It’s All A Blur tour, where she teased the “Rich Baby Daddy” collab, all while keeping her pregnancy under wraps.
“Touring was stressful at first because nobody knew I was pregnant,” she told Billboard in January. “I’d be in the bedroom trying to suck my stomach in or wear clothes to show I wasn’t. It hurt to just be onstage all day holding your stomach. It’s hard to hide it.”
SKG has focused on working hard to rebrand herself from her Death Row Record days. She has built an audience for herself of millions
of followers with all of her social media handlers combined. Being the first generation in her family born in Los Angeles, Ca. SKG birth name ; Helecia Choyce, family roots started back in New York, where music and culture was very important.
SKG, always had a passion for music and poetry, while working hard to keep her name mentioned amongst the greats, as well as artist in the new era of female rappers.
SKG, came up around one of Hip Hop’s most precious eras.
From Tupac Album to Modern Day Industry with features from Boosie, Anthony Hamilton and Paul Wall. SKG continues to drop heat. When it comes to rappers, SKG can go head to head on the beat with any male or female artist in the game. Expanding genres, SKG has decided to embark on a new musical journey, diving into the heart of spoken word.
Spoken word can have many elements, including rap, hip-hop, storytelling, theater, and jazz. Characterized by rhyme, repetition, improvisation, and word play, spoken word poems frequently refer to issues of social justice, politics, race, and community. Related to slam poetry, spoken word may draw on music, sound, dance, or other kinds of performance to connect with audiences.
When you combine spoken word and hip-hop, a new generation of artist are born.
Taking control, SKG speaks from her soul on her new spoken word track, “Discuss Of A Black Man”. SKG, spoken word has a purpose to unite and uplift women from all walks of life.
Produced by BMFs very own producer; S’Class, who’s worked with artist such as, Jeezy, Dr. Dre, Ras Kass, Nipsey Hussle, Too Short, E-40, Beanie Siegal, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, COLD187UM, Chief Keef, Young Dolph, Eve, Ice Cube, Jay rock and many other influential artist that’s helped shift the culture.
The spoken word track features African sounds with high drums and African chants.
SKG expressed her excitement about the new project and crossing over in genres: “I love spoken word and my only request would be, “Don’t put me in a box, let me fly and land”.
SKG , said she’s looking forward to exploring and making different genres of music while performing across the world.
A 28-year-old resident of Memphis was apprehended for the murder of Tomanuel Benson, the brother of the prominent Memphis rapper Blac Youngsta.
Memphis police were called to a shooting at the BP gas station on South Parkway East in Memphis on August 18, 2023. Upon arrival, they discovered Benson suffering from a gunshot wound, an injury that would tragically prove fatal.
The investigation that followed quickly identified Ewing as a suspect, leading to the issuance of warrants for his arrest on charges of Second Degree Murder and Criminal Attempt Second Degree Murder, Violations of the Sex Offender Registry Law, and other charges related to firearms offenses.
Following a concerted effort by U.S. Marshals in collaboration with the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Randy Darnell Ewing Jr. was captured last night after a brief chase.
The capture of Ewing resulted from a targeted operation in the Lamar Avenue and Winchester Road area. When officers spotted Ewing, a foot chase ensued, culminating in his apprehension with the aid of a K-9 unit named Marko.
At the time of his arrest, Ewing was found to be armed, adding a layer of danger to the pursuit. Following his capture, Ewing was treated for injuries sustained during the arrest before being transferred to the Shelby County Jail.
So far, detectives have yet to release a motive for the slaying of Blac Youngsta’s brother.
The man accused of hatching the brazen plot to murder Young Dolph apparently believes a job is more valuable than his life.
Hernandez Govan is facing charges that include first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
He has been out on a $90,000 bond since May of 2023 and has been on a 24-hour house arrest lockdown ever since. According to local reports, Govan just filed paperwork with Judge Jennifer Mitchell, asking her to relax the terms of his house arrest so he can find work.
According to Govan, he wants to be able to find gainful employment so he can support his wife and daughter. A previous attempt was denied by Judge Lee Coffee, claiming Govan had violated the terms of his bond by traveling outside of Shelby County without permission.
Judge Lee Coffee also warned Govan that he was most likely a marked man due to his involvement in the murder of Young Dolph.
“Memphis Shelby County, Tennessee is the first most violent metropolitan area in the country. This case has generated a substantial amount of publicity, and if you’re running around free… somebody might be trying to kill you,” Judge Lee Coffee told Govan, who seems to be unmoved.
So Govan is taking another crack at getting some freedom despite the dire warning because Judge Coffee was forced to recuse himself from the trial.
In addition to Govan, the two main suspects accused of pulling the trigger, Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith Jr., have been charged with the rapper’s murder, which occurred in November 2021 when Young Dolph was fatally shot at a local bakery.
This decision was influenced by concerns that local jurors, given the widespread media coverage and the intense emotional impact of Young Dolph’s murder on the Memphis community, might not be able to remain impartial.
Both Johnson and Smith have entered pleas of not guilty to the charges of first-degree murder.
In addition to these two, other individuals are implicated in the case, including Govan and Jermarcus Johnson, who has accepted a plea deal for his role as an accessory after the fact.
Kanye West is back on Instagram, this time going on an all-caps rant about the Taylor Swift Super Bowl LVIII controversy. A rumor, which a West rep called “fabricated,” started circulating online that claimed Swift had the erratic rapper removed from one of the Allegiant Stadium Suites on Sunday (February 11).
The Instagram post included a “Swiftie Emergency” announcement that read, “Beyonce’s new single ‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM’ is challenging Kanye West for a #1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100. Let’s BUY AND STREAM TEXAS HOLD ‘EM to block him from the top spot!!! REMEMBER he just DRAGGED Taylor on his latest Instagram Story.”
West attempted to soothe the Swifties’ feelings but ultimately seemed to make things worse. He wrote, “WHEN I SAID THAT I’M THE NEW JESUS B#### I WASN’T EVEN THINKING ABOUT TAYLOR SWIFT. THAT WAS A WHOLE LINE BEFORE BUT I APPRECIATE THE FREE PROMO. LIL WAYNE ACTUALLY MENTIONS TRAVIS KELSEY ON VULTURES 2. THIS ALBUM IS ACTUALLY SUPER POSITIVE AND FUN IT’S ALL ABOUT TRIUMPHANT. LAST YEAR WAS INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING FOR ME, MY WIFE, MY CHILDREN, FRIENDS AND FAMILY. I’VE BEEN BANNED FROM HOTELS, KICKED OUT OF COMPANIES, AND EVEN NOT ALLOWED TO EAT IN SOME RESTAURANTS.
“EVERYONE SAW VULTURES 1 GET TAKEN OFF OF PLATFORMS TO LIMIT OUR FIRST WEEK NUMBERS. THIS REMINDS ME OF THE MISTREATMENT OF MY PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF OUR SKIN. REMEMBER I WAS ON TAYLOR’S SIDE WHEN SCOOTER BOUGHT HER MASTERS BEHIND HER BACK. SHE AND BEYONCÉ ARE BIG INSPIRATIONS TO ALL MUSICIANS WE ALWAYS SAY HOW BOTH SELL OUT TOURS AND MOVIES ALSO, I’M SURE I’VE BEEN FAR MORE HELPFUL TO TAYLOR SWIFT’S CAREER THAN HARMFUL.”
He continued: “TO ALL TAYLOR SWIFT FANS I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY UUUM IM NOT YOUR FRIEND EITHER THOUGH LOL. ALSO I DIDN’T GET KICKED OUT OF THE SUPER BOWL WE LEFT OUR SEATS TO GO TO YG’S BOX AND SEE DIFFERENT FRIENDS. MY WIFE HAD NEVER BEEN TO A SUPER BOWL SO I WANTED TO WALK AROUND AND HAVE A NICE TIME. WE HAD SUCH A FUN DAY.”
“OH AND TO SHAQ I GREW UP LOOKING UP TO YOU,” he added. “I WOULD LOVE TO HANG WITH YOU AND JAMIE SOMETIME JAIMIE SALTER IS LIKE A FATHER FIGURE TO ME. THE MEDIA MAY CONTROL THE NARRATIVE BUT THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.”
Kanye West and Taylor Swift have beef that stretches back years. There was West’s infamous mic snatch during Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and the exhaustive debate over Swift’s conversation with ‘Ye over the song “Famous.”
In March 2020, the unedited conversation was leaked online and painted a much different picture of the one Kim Kardashian originally released in 2016. Swift acknowledged the leak but used it to bring attention to her favorite charities in an effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic. But Kardashian eventually fired back at Swift, accusing her of lying (again).
“To be clear, the only issue I ever had around the situation was that Taylor lied through her publicist who stated that ‘Kanye never called to ask for permission,’” she tweeted. “They clearly spoke so I let you all see that. Nobody ever denied the word ‘b####’ was used without her permission. At the time when they spoke the song had not been fully written yet, but as everyone can see in the video, she manipulated the truth of their actual conversation in her statement when her team said she declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. The lie was never about the word b####, It was always whether there was a call or not and the tone of the conversation.”
Swift’s publicist, Tree Paine, countered, “I’m Taylor’s publicist and this is my UNEDITED original statement. Btw, when you take parts out, that’s editing. P.S. who did you guys p### off to leak that video?” She continued, “Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single ‘Famous’ on her Twitter account. She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyrics, ‘I made that b#### famous.’”
A new drama series based on USHER’s music is in the works. It has been announced that a new drama series based on Black love, inspired by the performer’s music, is in development at Universal Studio Group’s Universal Content Productions (UCP).
According to the official description, the as-yet-untitled series will center around “Black love and individuals looking to find a place to call home. The series will explore music, style, sex, romance and secrets that threaten to tear relationships apart.”
The eight-time Grammy winner will executive produce the series alongside screenwriter Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, Katie Zucker and attorney Kenny Meiselas. A writer has not yet been attached to the project.
“My 30-year catalog has resonated with so many people no matter where they were in their lives,” USHER stated in a press release. “I’m happy to be working with UCP to bring the music to life. I hope the series resonates with you the way my music continues to.”
The announcement comes just days after USHER headlined the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show. He also released his ninth studio album, Coming Home, earlier this month.
The musician is set to kick off his upcoming tour, “Past Present Future,” supporting his new album on August 16 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ice-T may have prematurely convicted a man purely based off of the extraordinary appearance of the individual’s mugshot.
In case you missed it, an unidentified Chicago man’s mugshot went viral on social media due to the sinister expression on his face. The mugshot has generated more than 16 million views, with many comparing the criminal to fictional horror movie character “Pennywise” from the film series IT. Of the seemingly countless users reacting to the crazy looking mugshot is veteran rapper-turned-actor Ice-T.
”Hell yes,” Ice-T wrote. “He dit it! Whatever it was… lol.”
It’s still currently unknown what the alleged perpetrator was booked for, which hasn’t stopped the photo from circulating. It isn’t just the Chicago criminal who’s become the topic of conversation following the release of his mugshot. In 2020, Trick Daddy’s mugshot went viral after he was was arrested for cocaine possession in Miami-Dade County. Last year, Tory Lanez was roasted for grinning widely at the camera in one of his mugshots following his conviction for shooting Megan Thee Stallion.
A Baltimore rapper was just sentenced to 15 years in prison and could face up to 40 years behind bars following his recent conviction.
On Tuesday (February 13), Lor X was sentenced by Circuit Judge Lawrence R. Daniels in his case, where he faced charges for overseeing a gang that distributed fentanyl throughout Southwest Baltimore. Daniels originally imposed the total sentence of 40 years for Lor X, whose legal name is Xavier Johnson. However, Daniels suspended a large chunk of the sentence as a sort of contingency plan in regards to Johnson’s rehabilitation.
“He’s going to have 25 years hanging over his head,” Daniels said. “I got to tell you, Mr. Johnson, if you so much as spit on the sidewalk, I’ll give you all of it.”
In 2020, Johnson was apart of an 18-person indictment spawned by the discovery of fentanyl during a residential eviction. According to Investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Maryland State Police, Johnson had a crew that maintained “several stash houses to store drugs and guns.”
Last September, Johnson plead guilty to one count of “organizing, supervising and financing a gang,” and “two counts of being in possession of large quantities of a mixture of drugs containing fentanyl.” Based on the plea agreement he accepted, Johnson will not be eligible for parole for the first 10 years of his sentence.
Former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight is incarcerated, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have access to social media. On Valentine’s Day (February 14), Knight posted a bizarre topless photo of the late Tupac Shakur in the shower to his Twitter (X) account.
He wrote in the caption, “Happy Valentines Day to all my female 2Pac fans!! Never seen before picture of 2Pac taking a shower!!!” He also included the hashtags Jada [Pinkett] Smith, Keshia Morris and Kidada Jones, all women who’ve been intimately involved with the Hip-Hop icon in one way or another.
Par for the course, commentary was all over the place. Some were shocked to see Shakur had a “tramp stamp,” others wanted to know why Knight had this on his jail phone and a few suspected Knight wasn’t running his account when this was posted. Whatever the case, plenty of people tried to see the humor in it, too. As one person wrote, “Tell me 2Pac ain’t got no MFing Tramp Stamp!”
Suge Knight, who’s currently serving a 28-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter, reacted to the 2023 arrest of murder suspect Keefe D on his Collect Call with Suge Knight podcast last December. He believes “justice” is being served. He also suggested envy played a big role in the killing.
“It’s been a long time since I was able to talk freely about ‘Pac because we were so close,” he said. “And the thing is, ‘Pac is finally getting justice. And justice for ‘Pac is not so much somebody gettin’ punished, or goin’ to prison. It’s the fact that if you was around ‘Pac, and you had your hands into trying to destroy him, and we got the receipts, it’s a problem.
“I said this from day one, when we first started talking about it. Jealousy is worse than hate. When your name starts ringing, people get jealous of you. You know, if a person hates you, they can be across the street, and they can see you. They can see you, you know?”
America experienced another mass shooting on Wednesday (February 14). One person was killed and up to 15 victims were injured in a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade.
According to multiplereports, Kansas City police detained two armed suspects. The individuals were not identified.
Officials said three people are in critical condition. Five more victims are in serious condition. One person suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Thousands of Kansas City Chiefs fans gathered downtown to celebrate the team’s Super Bowl victory. Gunfire erupted near the end of the parade.
The Super Bowl parade shooting added to the grim realities of frequent mass shootings in the United States. What was meant to be a celebration turned into a tragedy as at least one family lost a loved one due to senseless gun violence.
“Praying for Kansas City,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Officials are still gathering facts about the shooting, but they do not believe it was motivated by terrorism based on initial information. Missouri is an open-carry state.
The mass shooting at the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City occurred just days after a woman opened fire at Lakewood Church in Houston. Two people were injured in the Houston shooting. The church shooter was killed by law enforcement.
The launch of “Baddie and The Beast” on UrbanflixTV, starring Charisse Mills and Luce Cannon, introduces a new twist within a reality TV series that delves into the complexities of their romance amidst the entertainment industry’s glitz and challenges.
This series emerges as a bold move for the power couple, offering viewers an intimate look into their lives, marked by contrasting backgrounds but united by their chemistry. Their journey, scrutinized by media and besieged by industry pressures, unfolds as a narrative rich in drama, passion, and resilience. Produced by Baddie and The Beast Productions, this series marks Mills and Cannon’s debut in television production and showcases their commitment to authenticity and raw storytelling.
The series promises to be a testament to love’s power over adversity, inviting audiences into the heart of their unscripted love story. Check out the trailer below.
An appeals court denied James Rosemond a.k.a. Jimmy Henchman’s bid to be released from prison on Tuesday (February 13). According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a ruling saying former President Donald Trump never granted clemency to Rosemond.
Rosemond received a small victory as the appeals court ruled the district court “erred in concluding that a writing” was required to enact clemency power. But the appeals court said Rosemond cannot prove Trump commuted the music executive’s sentence.
“The problem for Rosemond, then, is not just the lack of a clemency warrant per se,” the court explained. “It is his failure to allege the existence of evidence that President Trump in fact commuted his sentence. His argument rests entirely on the assertions set forth in the Browns’ declarations, but those declarations do not prove what he claims they do.”
Rosemond cited a Trump phone call with Jim and Monique Brown as proof of the former president granting clemency to the convicted felon. The appeals court reviewed the alleged statements from the call and determined there was no evidence to support Rosemond’s claim.
“At the outset, the portions of the Browns’ declarations asserting that President Trump allegedly commuted Rosemond’s sentence are only the Browns’ characterizations of and ‘belief[s]’ of the December 18 telephone call,” the court noted. “But the Browns do no possess clemency power, nor are they authorized to speak on President Trump’s behalf. Therefore, it is President Trump’s words—not the Browns’ takeaways from them—that would be the sole basis for determining Rosemond’s sentence has been commuted.”
It continued, “Even assuming the factual accuracy and eventual admissibility of the information recited in the Browns’ declarations regarding President Trump’s reported statements, none of those statements during the December 18 telephone call reflect a declaratory statement that President Trump had previously or was in that moment commuting Rosemond’s sentence. Instead, his statements are forward-looking, anticipating what he wanted to have happen at some point in the future.”
The appeals court said granting relief to Rosemond based on the Browns’ declaration would be unlawful. The Constitution forbids the court from appropriating executive power.
“In sum, although President Trump may have intended to exercise his clemency power to commute Rosemond’s sentence at some future point in time, the words … during the phone call with the Browns did not do so,” the court ruled. “Nor is there any other evidence alleged to show that President Trump did so at some point after December 18 and while he still held the constitutional powers of the President. In fact, Rosemond’s petition was proceeding along the process typically used to channel such requests, and that channel—when successful—would have typically ended with the President signing a commutation warrant. Instead, Rosemond’s petition is still designated as pending on the Pardon Office website tracking all petitions submitted to it.”
Rosemond landed in prison for drug trafficking and his role in the murder of 50 Cent associate Lowell Fletcher. Rosemond is serving multiple life sentences.
Meek Mill has denounced his former Dream Chasers (DC) signee Vory following accusations of abuse from his girlfriend.
On Wednesday (February 14), Meek shared a message on Twitter (X) vehemently denying Vory’s alignment with his DC imprint after footage of an incident involving Vory and his partner leaked online. In the clip circulating on social media, Vory can be seen verbally abusing a woman and threatening her with bodily harm in a physically imposing manner. At one point, he appears to tell the woman he’d kill her if she didn’t comply with his request. Once Meek caught wind of the situation, he revealed he’d been trying to reach Vory for quite sometime.
“This guy is not a dream chaser!” he wrote. “He has a mental problem! We cutting ties we don’t care how ya music sound,…. He been ducking my calls for months telling people I’m threatening him… stopped alot of people dude “he is not dreamchaser!”
This guy is not a dream chaser! He has a mental problem! We cutting ties we don’t care how ya music sound,…. He been ducking my calls for months telling people I’m threatening him… stopped alot of people dude “he is not dreamchaser! https://t.co/tjbB8U3oR2
Vory reportedly signed with Meek’s DC label in 2020 after inking a deal with Capitol Records in 2018. While it’s unclear when the rift occurred, the Philadelphia MC had been working with the Lost Souls vocalist as late as last June, when he teased a pair of collaborative albums between himself, Vory and Sampha.
Freddie Gibbs found a new boo for Valentine’s Day. Model/influencer Jasmine Grenaway confirmed the two are dating in social media posts on Wednesday (February 14).
“Happy Valentine’s Day @freddiegibbs,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m in love with you unconditionally. Thank you for existing. You are my soulmate.”
Minutes after Grenaway’s post, Gibbs boasted about finding love again on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“I got n##### like…” he wrote alongside the popular Wee-Bey Brice’s reaction gif from The Wire.
Gibbs connected with Grenaway, who’s known for her followings on Instagram and OnlyFans, after a bad breakup with his ex Destini Fox a.k.a. Fit Mami. Last year, Fit Mami aired her relationship drama with Gibbs on social media. Fit Mami revealed she got pregnant. Gibbs wanted her to get an abortion. She refused to stay in the relationship and did not get an abortion.
“I get [to the abortion clinic] and the doctor lets me know I’m closer to 12 weeks, and I saw our little baby moving around and I knew then that I couldn’t go through with it,” she wrote. “after we broke up, I turned his phone off,because I was paying his phone bill.”
She continued, “He never checked on me after, ‘said procedure’ never called to confirm if I went through with it. I just simply never heard from him again. I’ve reached out to him, his manager, his assistant, and no one will respond, I feel like I’ve done my part, kept it real, and this is the thanks I get. noted I no longer want a response, no bad blood. I’m going to be just fine. But I had to speak my truth.”
Last month, Fit Mami released a Gibbs diss track titled “New Baby Mama.” Their baby briefly appeared in the music video.
A rep for Kanye West denied he got kicked out of the Super Bowl at the behest of Taylor Swift. Ye’s team responded to the rumor, which was started by former NFL player Brandon Marshall.
“This is a completely fabricated rumor,” the rep told TMZ. “It is not true.”
Marshall claimed Swift pulled strings to get Kanye removed from Allegiant Stadium after Ye allegedly tried to sit in front of her Super Bowl suite. Marshall told the story on an episode of the Paper Route podcast.
“Kanye West pulls up to Vegas,” Marshall said. “Kanye West buys a ticket right in front of Katy Perry’s booth. So, any time they were gonna be showing Katy Perry’s booth, Kanye’s face was gonna be there … My bad, in front of Taylor Swift’s booth. He had a mask on with his logo on the mask. Typical Kanye. Taylor Swift gets p##### off. She boom, boom, makes a call or two. Everybody’s involved. He gets kicked out the stadium … He was trying to leverage her celebrity … That’s what he tried to do. He tried to sit in front of Taylor Swift.”
Marshall suggested the alleged incident tied back to Kanye infamously interrupting Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
Cam’ron and Ma$e were among the many who discussed the rumor as it spread online. Ma$e doubted Marshall’s story while Cam noted how Ye’s fame has diminished due to controversy. The Dipset member also reiterated how Kanye acts differently in public.
“In this room when nobody here, that’s the coolest n#### in the world,” Cam said. “When the cameras turn on, n#### turn into somebody totally different. I ain’t with the camera Kanye, my nephew.”
Kanye released Vultures 1, a new album with Ty Dolla $ign, the day before the Super Bowl. The project was originally supposed to drop on February 9.
A country music station accused of racism after it banned Beyonce has changed its tune after being stung by the “Beyhive” and getting called out all over the world.
KYKC, which delivers exclusively country music, found itself under fire after a representative of the broadcaster responded to a fan enquiry about whether they would air Beyonce’s new country song, “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
“We do not play Beyonce on KYKC,” the rep wrote, “as we are a country music station.”
The statement led to accusations of racism and discrimination from Beyonce’s fans, who argued that the failure to recognize Beyonce’s new music as ‘country’ was tantamount to racial exclusion.
“The refusal to play these songs raises concerns about the station’s stance on artists of color,” one fan wrote on X/Twitter. “Whether intentional or not, such action contributes to the narrative of racial bias within the country community.”
And it seems those fans’ arguments may have held sway with execs at the network, who later clarified their position.
“We love Beyonce here,” the station’s general manager Roger Harris said. “We play her on our (other top 40 and adult hits stations) but we’re not playing her on our country station yet because it just came out.”
Roger went on to explain that the original email was a “standard response” to requests for non-country artists.
“If somebody calls and requests the Rolling Stones on that station, we’re going to say the same thing,” he said.
So far, the station has played the hit song twice.
The internet is enraged an OK radio station won’t play Beyoncé’s new country song and they’re saying it’s due to racism.
Maybe a little. The genre has some long-standing historic issues on that front and black artists have often struggled to get a foot in the door. Look no…
When Beyoncé drops this country album, we are gonna see more racism and more stupidity. Because how is a country accent not a southern accent? https://t.co/UbYEnWnYa8
Look how Beyoncé’s fans are deliberately creating fake drama trying to say this radio station is racist. They are literally hurting her crossover with this b.s. It’s like they just want there to be racism because they love victimhood. pic.twitter.com/L0NuTGJeiT
just because i’m white doesn’t mean i don’t know what racism is. the entire thing im studying in school is to dismantle systematic racism. and at the end of the day you’re still weird!
there’s no fantasy. racism is real. you seem to know very little about it tho… which is exactly what’s expected from a nonblack person. so again, why are you speaking on this if it does not apply to you?
‘Bob Marley: One Love’ celebrates the life and music of the icon, Bob Marley, who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. Bob’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music has now hit the big screen.
Kingsley Ben-Adir stars as Bob Marley and Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley in the film. The film covers the assassination attempt made on Bob Marley, the icon touring and recording in Europe, Marley performing at the “One Love Peace” concert in Jamaica, Jamaica’s political problems, the ‘Exodus’ album, Marley’s cancer diagnosis and much more.
AllHipHop’s Rea Davis spoke with Kingsley Ben-Adir & Lashana Lynch about their roles, Bob Marley’s legacy and more!
AllHipHop: So what would you like viewers to take away from this film?
Kingsley Ben-Adir: I’d like them to feel, for the fans and people who may don’t know about [Bob], but I don’t think that’s very many people, to feel like they understand a little bit more about Bob as a human, and that he was a legend and an icon, and he did so many incredible things in the short space of time that he was here. He was a man from the ghetto, and he found music, and he found God, and he found football, and those were the things he loved and cherished, and he found safety in that. The feeling of community and love and spirit. And of course the music to reconnect with the music and engage with the lyrics perhaps as well in a new way. I understood so much when I started, but when you understand the full meaning of Bob’s songs and the language, it takes it to a new level, and everyone in Jamaica knows. I certainly didn’t, and I had to study the meaning of the songs, you know. He’s talking spirituality and God through most of it, and that’s really powerful to understand what that meant to Bob is huge. So yeah, and I also just hope that they feel like they can go on a journey and they feel some emotion. I hope they feel something.
AllHipHop: So what was it like playing such a legendary and iconic musician and artist?
Kingsley Ben-Adir: It was amazing. It was…. I feel like there wasn’t a huge amount of time to process it because there was so much work to do from the beginning really. I auditioned, then I was with Ziggy and the family within weeks, and we just got straight to it. There was so much to do, so much to learn, so much to understand, so much time to spend in Jamaica, so many people to meet, I needed to absorb as much as I could to try to understand who Bob was and his most vulnerable moments and what he was going through. There’s only so many books you can read. Having the family there and Bob’s friends who he grew up with. I was very, very lucky in that way. The movie would’ve never happened without all of that. The same way, I feel a huge privilege to have got to spend that much time with them, and for them to trust me and share with me, you know. I just wanted to repay them with the work, you know. That’s another thing about Bob is that his work ethic was extraordinary. Like he grafted. He put everything into his music. He put everything into what he did. He reached the highest level. He created so much music that’s beyond special. Remarkable human being.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite Bob Marley record?
Kingsley Ben-Adir: “So Jah Seh”.. yeah.
Lashana Lynch:
AllHipHop: What do you want viewers to take away from this film?
Lashana Lynch: Oh, I always find that question really weird to answer because I don’t ever want to put anything on an audience. I want people to come in and just feel it, you know.This is an experience, and experiential movie where you get to learn more about someone that you may already know. Brand new information on someone that you may not know for younger generations. It’s genuinely not called “One Love” for no reason. We’re at a time in the world where we need these vibes. We need to feel the different versions of love, and it’s really timely to have this right now and feel the vibes literally. Feel a bit of Jamaica and also the wisdom that Bob had, and the strength and vulnerability. The grace that Mrs. Marley had and still has. There’s so much. I look forward to seeing what people think myself.
AllHipHop: So what was it like playing such a strong woman as Rita Marley?
Lashana Lynch: An honor. An absolute honor. As a woman of Jamaican heritage, that is the person that I’d want to play. I never imagined it. It’s not like I thought, “Oh it would be really nice to play Rita Marley one day; hmm let’s see if that happens.” It didn’t come up for me, and I really am glad that she is such an important part of this story that we’re telling here because without her narrative, I don’t know, there’s just certain moments in Bob’s journey that would be empty. From my analysis of it, feels as though, we are taking that behind every man is a strong woman. We’re taking that and flipping it on it’s head and saying, not just a strong woman. We’re seeing death. We’re seeing honesty. We’re seeing holding you to task. We’re seeing your honesty. We’re seeing you bare. She does so much for this man, and we get to tell it. She gets her flowers hopefully in this movie.
AllHipHop: In your own words, what’s Bob’s legacy?
Lashana Lynch: I think we feel it. I think Bob’s legacy is felt globally just by virtue of him existing giving so much hope to so many people. Reggae has a vibration in and around and underneath the music that is indescribable for me. Bob’s in particular has something that is tapped in somewhere else. It’s just gifted the world this new and still very new after so many years, so very fresh and open and unguarded love for self, I think. I think when you listen to his music, you hear him speak, you just think about loving yourself more, and if you’re any artist, that’s what you want to do. You want to connect, you want people to feel more of their truth. I guess that’s what he did.
AllHipHop: Lastly, what’s your favorite Bob Marley song?
Lashana Lynch: Girl…um. From when I was a little girl, I loved “Stir It Up.” It was just my favorite to move to, sing to, to clean to because we did the chores to that. “Stir It Up” is one. The whole ‘Exodus’ album. Honestly, his whole…let me just leave it at “Stir It Up.”
Gillie Da King and Wallo267 carved out a successful lane in the Hip-Hop media space with Million Dollaz Worth of Game. The Philadelphia-bred podcasters have millions of followers across social media.
The latest edition of Complex‘s “GOAT Talk” series featured Gillie Da King and Wallo267 discussing some of the greatest beefs, albums and artists in rap history. In particular, Wallo questioned Gillie about two deceased legends.
After Gillie named Jay-Z as his GOAT rapper, Wallo asked his first cousin, “Was DMX better than 2Pac?” The “Tryna Get Me One” rhymer responded, “DMX is the greatest performer to ever hit the stage.”
Wallo267 then reiterated his question about X and Pac two more times. Gillie Da King finally stated, “As a rapper? Maybe, DMX. But they’re both GOATs as far as talent. They’re both neck-and-neck.”
In addition, Wallo agreed that he sees Jay-Z as the greatest MC of all time. They both named former 76ers star Allen Iverson as the GOAT Philadelphia athlete. Symba got a shout-out from Gillie for having the GOAT radio freestyle.
Gillie Da King and Wallo267 acknowledged Migos, Meek Mill, Freeway, Will Smith, Young Thug and Lil Durk as well. The Million Dollaz Worth of Game hosts also mentioned The Notorious B.I.G. versus 2Pac as the GOAT rap beef.
GloRilla returned this month with brand-new music. After the Grammy-nominated recording artist dropped “Yeah Glo!” on February 9, professional basketball legend LeBron James co-signed the song this week.
Yesterday (February 13), LeBron James posted a clip of himself rapping the lyrics to GloRilla’s “Yeah Glo!” on his Instagram Story. James captioned the video, “Game day VIBEZ.”
The Los Angeles Lakers player later wrote on his Instagram Story, “Glo [gorilla emoji] track so damn [fire emojis] YEAAAAAHHHHH GLO!” The Memphis native responded by sharing LeBron James’s post on her Instagram Story.
In addition, the verified Los Angeles Lakers Instagram account uploaded a photo of GloRilla and LeBron James together on Wednesday (February 14). The storied NBA franchise’s caption simply read, “Yeah Glo!”
GloRilla also posted the same image on her Instagram page. Plus, the Collective Music Group/Interscope Records rapper presented more pictures and videos of herself at Wednesday night’s Los Angeles game. She appeared with LeBron James and Lakers power forward Anthony Davis.
The official music video for “Yeah Glo!” surpassed two million YouTube views since its premiere on February 9. GloRilla’s latest visuals currently hold the No. 2 spot on the platform’s Trending chart in the United States.
Bigg K has been crowned 2023 battle rap Champion of the Year by Jay Blac’s annual panel following one of the closest contests in the history of the platform.
The Norfolk, Virginia native’s victory, determined by a panel of six judges and a fan survey, finally shut down the myth that the title is a “URL award” eligible only to MCs who do most of their work on the Ultimate Rap League. In 2023, Bigg K battled on multiple leagues, excluding URL, and had his most impactful showings in Rare Breed Entertainment’s Blue Room.
2023 also saw a historic achievement for the women of battle rap. For the first time ever, three ladies earned Top. 20 placements after showing out in impressive performances against noteworthy opponents throughout the year.
Bigg K triumphed in a tightly contested race, which saw him surpass Nu Jerzey Twork to take the top spot. He won the judges over by three to two, with the deciding vote going to the fans. According to Jay Blac, the decision went down to the wire, with just five fan votes separating the two frontrunners.
“Extremely grateful for every person that voted for me,” Bigg K wrote on social media following his win. “And a slow death to every person who didn’t want me to win….The belt goes to Norfolk, where it belongs!”
Extremely grateful for every person that voted for me….And a slow death to every person who didn’t want me to win….The belt goes to Norfolk, where it belongs! pic.twitter.com/Iq3ikYoa3a
Bigg K and Nu Jerzey Twork also scored highly among fans who voted in AllHipHop’s 2023 Battle Rap Superlatives, although our readers ranked them in reverse order. Twork took first place in the Male Battler of the Year and co-ed Fan Favorite categories, with Bigg K placing second in both instances.
Twork didn’t walk away empty-handed on the Champion panel that aired Tuesday (February 13). He won the 2023 Performance of the Year award for his battle against Harlem veteran Murda Mook, which ranked third in AllHipHop’s Battle of the Year list.
St. Louis icon Hitman Holla earned a special award for his illustrious career. The Wild N’ Out star was named Champion’s inaugural Executive Gold Vanguard for his contributions to battle rap.
AllHipHop readers’ Female Battle Rapper of the Year placed just outside the Top.10 COTY rankings, coming in at No. 11. Ms. Hustle and Coffee Brown, who ranked second and third in our list also earned spots in the COTY Top. 20, taking No. 12 and No. 16, respectively.
Rookie of the Year
Maryland rapper and AllHipHop’s No. 1 Breakout Rapper of 2023, Yunus, won Champion’s Rookie of the Year title. Our readers also agreed on several other categories.
Upset Win of the Year went to Jerry Wess for his resounding victory over DNA, and Hitman Holla vs. Ill Will won the 2023 Battle of the Year title.
A. Ward’s “Glock 40” rebuttal against Aye Verb won Champion’s Moment of the Year and was named our No. 1 Haymaker in 2023. Three-time former COTY Geechi Gotti placed at No. 4 in the overall list. Additionally, he won Champion’s Round of the Year for his viral third round against Eazy the Block Captain.
Check out Champion’s Top. 20 to 3 of 2023 below and watch the livestream at the end of the page.
