Gorilla Stone leader Donovan Gillard, also known as Donnie Love, was sentenced to 20 years in prison as part of a racketeering case involving Casanova.
Like Casanova, Gillard pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge. More than a dozen Gorilla Stone members also pleaded guilty after the gang was accused of murder, narcotics, firearms, and fraud offenses.
Prosecutors referred to Gillard as a godfather in the Gorilla Stone gang. The feds linked him to drug deals, a failed murder plot, and an unemployment fraud scheme.
“I was always the little one out of the crew and the youngest. As I entered junior high school, I was bullied due to my size which led me to sort protection (sic), I began to hang around the wrong crowd and eventually was persuaded to join the “Blood Gang…” Joining the gang in my mind gave me empowerment. As I rise (sic) in status, I felt untouchable. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I only wanted to protect my family and earn money to eventually move my grandmother out of [public] housing.
After the birth of his daughter, Gillard said he wanted to leave the gangster lifestyle behind. He started his own cleaning business, but getting out of the Bloods was not so easy.
“I knew I couldn’t just walk away from the gang because there will (sic)be consequences, however, I tried my best to dissocialize myself from it. My grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer September of 2020, she was given 4-6 months to live. My grandmother expressed on her hospital bed how proud of me she became for the changes I’ve made. I promised my grandmother on her dying bed I will no longer be a gang member. My grandmother passed away on January 30th, 2021.
“On February 10th, 2021, I was indicted and arrested at my home the day before I was to bury my grandmother. The hurt of losing my grandmother and the hurt of unable (sic) to see her being laid to rest still taunts me (sic).”
Unfortunately, Gillard’s plea to the judge fell on deaf ears.
“Gillard’s leadership role meant that he was responsible for ensuring that his many reports followed the gang’s rules, including retaliating against rival gang members who threatened the gang’s narcotics dealing or its overall reputation and stature,” prosecutors said. “Gillard was responsible for ensuring that his reports learned the Gorilla Stone oath and its various rules, and he played a role in recruiting young members to the violent gang.”
Earlier this year, Casanova pleaded guilty to racketeering and narcotics charges for his role in the Gorilla Stone gang. He admitted to participating in a 2018 robbery and a 2020 shooting.
Casanova, whose real name is Caswell Senior, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16th. He is facing up to 60 years in prison.
Instagram and Social Media Reach Surpasses 2.5 Million Viewers
Artist, entertainer, and songwriter Anaya LoveNote has something to say and she’s not holding back or biting her tongue for anyone or anything.
Breaking out with her anthem for females titled, “Preference,” this Texas-bred and California-residing entertainer is winning over the hearts of the industry with her candid takes on life, love, and relationships.
Taking back the labels that men impose on women like “hoe” or “gold digger,” Anaya LoveNote wants to level the playing field of dating with her new video. She lets them know it’s just her “Preference” to date the kind of men that have a big bag and the means to take care of a family.
“If men can be out here focused on their bag, then why can’t we as women do that? I’m not trying to get married, I want to focus on my bag, I want to focus on me. I want to fix myself, but at the same time I don’t want to be boring – I want to enjoy my life. It’s not fair that men take that and flip it. It’s like what makes me a hoe and you a player?” Anaya LoveNote asked.
Having been in a relationship with an A-list celebrity, Anaya LoveNove lost herself to the thralls of a one-sided relationship, and although she was happy for a time, ultimately she lost herself and her focus on being a singer and entertainer like she had always dreamed about.
“Preference is a song inspired by how I was dating a huge celebrity and at one point I lost myself in that person. I was very distracted. I wasn’t going to the studio, and I wasn’t working on me and he ended up breaking me to the point where I lost myself. I was so broken and I just prayed and I started writing – Preference is the song that came from all those emotions and feelings,” Anaya LoveNote said.
But the road to finding success where she is touring weekly and recording with the best of the best wasn’t easy for Anaya LoveNote who grew up in foster care. Upon arrival to foster care when she was seven, Anaya took to singing and dancing, practicing and singing to Monica and Whitney Houston.
“When I got into foster care at the age of 7, I didn’t know I could sing or dance. I would listen to Monica and Whitney Houston and I would sing to them. Then one day this foster care person told me I had a gift and from there I loved the sound of my voice. I fell in love with music and I wanted to know how far I could go.”
Encouraged by the foster care staff, Anaya has continued to pursue her dreams of being an artist and entertainer since then and has ultimately written for the likes of Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang and Too Short.
Anaya LoveNote
“Loody from Taylor Gang was putting together a female project, I went in there singing but came out a rapper. It made me realize that I want to win an award for both genres of R&B and Rap. I have talents and God gave me the ability to sing and rap,” Anaya LoveNote explained. “After my failed relationship, I had hit up Winner Circle and I DM’d them. Months later I got a phone call, I went to Atlanta and they sent me a reference to a song that was originally for the City Girls, but I did my own thing and came up with Preference.“
From there Anaya LoveNote continued her mission to find the success she was looking for and it led her to Splash Life Booking’s CEO and founder Dollah Dae who has since begun managing her and booking her for shows across the country.
“I ended up learning about Splash Life with Lexy Panterra where I had a show. I ended up finding Dollah Dae around the time I recorded Preference so the timing was really crazy. I approached them and I asked them how I could grow. Dae told me he had been following me for about a year and after that, me and Dollah Dae connected. I prayed for management who is professional, who isn’t trying to f*ck on me and I’m just thankful to have connected with him because he is so professional and has helped me so much.”
Learning and growing with each step since her early days of foster care and throughout her troubled relationships, Anaya LoveNote has learned the importance of being yourself and being confident in who you are.
“I want fans to know that it’s okay to be yourself because there are so many sides to us as people. Sometimes people will say you are trying to be someone else, but there are so many sides to a person that makes them who they are,” Anaya LoveNote explained. “I want them to really see me, not someone else. I want people to see the love and bring back the fun in music. I don’t want to be labeled like another artist that’s already out, I just want them to take all of me for me.”
Jermaine Dupri defended his reputation after a producer accused him of taking credit for other people’s work.
The So So Def founder responded to comments made by producer Self Service on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinionpodcast. Self Service claimed high-profile producers received credit for beats they didn’t make in the ’90s. He mentioned Jermaine Dupri as an example, which didn’t sit well with JD.
“He said in the ‘90s that it was a going thing for producers with a name to take n#####’ beats,” JD said in an Instagram video. “And he named Irv Gotti, he named Puff Daddy … But then he said my name. N####, get the f### outta here with that s###.”
Jermaine Dupri and fellow producer Bryan-Michael Cox then discussed how these allegations were commonplace in the ‘90s. JD said other producers may have done it, but he insisted he made all his beats.
“Self Service or whoever the f### you is, that don’t come over here,” he declared. ”Don’t bring that s### over here with me. I make my beats! I write my songs! Me and Bryan, we work together. This is what we do. Leave that s### to somebody else.”
Jermaine Dupri continued, “And for anybody else out there thinking that, keep that s### over there where y’all at. We make records over here … If you ain’t never seen me in the studio, then don’t make that statement about me. Getcho information right.”
A surprising thing is happening in the Twitterverse.
A two-decade-long discussion about two of the greatest rap groups of all time has one of the acts trending.
To set the weekend off, Hip-Hop fans have taken to social media on Friday, August 19th, to argue who is better – The Lox or Mobb Deep.
Mobb Deep, one of the architects of Loud Records, helped to build that empire alongside the Wu-Tang Clan and has one of the greatest albums (The Infamous) of all time, according to Rolling Stone.
On the flip side, the proof is in the pudding with the D-Block representatives, The Lox, especially after their 2021 Verzuz that pretty much cemented Jadakiss as the MVP of Classic Hip-Hop.
The intense debate had some rap aficionados tossing their two cents into the million-dollar discussion.
One pro-Lox fan said, “Mobb deep didn’t say s### but QB, shoot em up bang bang in 99 percent of their records. Lyrically they on sheek louch level as a group Can’t front of havoc beats nor P’s solo s###, quiet storm is cool but have u ever heard we gon make it? Lol and the lox make way better albums.”
Mobb deep didn't say s### but QB, shoot em up bang bang in 99 percent of their records. Lyrically they on sheek louch level as a group
Can't front of havoc beats nor P's solo s###, quiet storm is cool but have u ever heard we gon make it? Lol and the lox make way better album's
He was answering a pro-Mobb Deep fan who said, “P alone is better than all 3 Havoc has made monumental beats P solo projects are top tier… Mobb Deep brought style, creativity and longevity Battles with Pac Jayz and Nas Shook Ones alone buries any LOX track.”
P alone is better than all 3 Havoc has made monumental beats P solo projects are top tier… Mobb Deep brought style,creativity and longevity Battles with Pac Jayz and Nas Shook Ones alone buries any LOX track https://t.co/65OIawIeMl
During their run to promote their album, Havoc and Styles P spoke about the rivalry between the groups.
It seems like it is all fun and games until that mic is turned on. Luckily, these two groups respect each other’s skill-set and will continue to represent for the culture.
Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter garnered a lot of positive reactions for his new Cheat Codes project with Danger Mouse. Apparently, The Roots frontman has also worked on music with Royce da 5’9.
Apple Music 1’s Ebro Darden spoke to Royce da 5’9″ on Rap Life Radio. While promoting his The Heaven Experience, Vol. 1, the Detroit-bred emcee discussed a possible Black Thought joint album.
“We go in all the time. We got way more unreleased stuff than we have stuff that’s actually out there,” said Royce. “But we were actually working on an album together at one point.”
The Bad Meets Evil member added, “It’s going to take a minute to finish something like that. Tariq is real busy. It’ll be times where he’s sending me a verse every week. And then it’ll be times where I don’t get nothing from him for six months.”
Black Thought’s Cheat Codes dropped on August 12. The Danger Mouse-produced body of work features Raekwon, Joey Bada$$, Russ, MF Doom, A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, Conway The Machine, and more.
2020’s The Allegory is Royce da 5’9″‘s most recent solo studio LP. His 15-track The Heaven Experience, Vol. 1 also hit DSPs on August 12. Royce explained to Ebro Darden why he chose to release a greatest hits album.
“Re-ownership of the masters. And I think that’s very important. It’s the start of a conversation, the right conversation,” said Royce. “Encouraging artists to look at each song on every project that you do like an asset, like all your intellectual property.”
He continued, “A project like this, that’s why I didn’t want to call it a compilation. I don’t want it to be anecdotal. I don’t want it to sound like a talking point. Everybody’s doing a compilation, or this, or that. This right here, this is just like the lunatics being freed from the asylum.”
Rapper Trapboy Freddy lives in the jungle, and authorities in the Dallas Police Department discovered that on Wednesday, August 16th, when they tried to serve him an arrest warrant.
According to WFAA, local police were helping members of the U.S. Marshall Service, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives serve a warrant on the rapper.
Around 2 p.m., they arrived at a house on the 2700 block of Meadow Gate Lane in southern Oak Cliff near Highway 67 and Interstate 20 to arrest the artist and were met with a surprise.
While taking in the 30-year-old rapper on weapons charges, they found a baby tiger caged in the home. Reports later emerged that the animal was roaming the streets, but officials say that was false.
Other reports said that the exotic cat had escaped from the Dallas Zoo. That is untrue as well. The zoo took to social media to clarify that the tiger did not belong to them.
“We are aware of a rumor that is circulating – we want to assure everyone our tigers are all accounted for and safe here at the zoo,” the zoo tweeted. “We saw messages online and heard from concerned local neighbors and wanted to set minds at ease about your Dallas Zoo!”
We are aware of a rumor that is circulating – we want to assure everyone our tigers are all accounted for and safe here at the Zoo. We saw messages online and heard from concerned local neighbors and wanted to set minds at ease about your Dallas Zoo!
After finding the animal, the police said they called the local animal control.
“Dallas Animal Services responded to the address and secured the tiger, which is currently being held in protective custody at an undisclosed location,” the department said in a statement.
You know when this record comes on the song is going to be BIG. Check it out as we get the DOPE ERA founder and CEO Mistah FAB with the Wing Stop king for a collab that screams silk designer threads and luxury things. Also featuring Track Sanders, this song can be found on Mistah Fab’s project Black Designer album which is a 22-songs effort showing love to the Black influencers and designers of the culture. Tune in below for this bi-coastal banger that is a must-play for fans of the Bay and MIA! The ERA WAY!
FACEvsIT, born Rene Alvarado, is a talented artist whose family hailed from Ecuador but he himself was raised in the South Los Angeles neighborhood of West Adams. Growing up in the land of gangs without affiliation was troublesome and put him in the position of needing to know how to fight, hustle, and navigate with his head on a swivel at all times. He got his start in music by first falling in love with poetry.
He was then taught by a close friend to turn that poetry into rap songs. Studying rhymes of the greats he used nothing but his own gifts and work ethic to navigate his way through the hip-hop scene. His journey has not been easy as he has been jumped, stabbed, and shot at. Living in Los Angeles is something FACEvsIT says he would not trade for the world but to say it required being in survival mode at all times would be an understatement. Still, FACEvsIT was able to take these difficulties and put them into his music to give both himself and his fans an outlet.
With all the hardship comes to triumph for FACEvsIT as he worked hard to make something for himself. He has now been able to tour through the United States and Europe learning about the world through music. He has been able to perform on the popular show Sway In The Morning and has performed live for thousands of people. FACEvsIT appreciates how much his music has spread and how many people have been touched by it.
He hopes his newest project “3FAC3S” will have the same effect. This project explores every side of him as a person and an artist in 9 tracks. He explores the “3 faces” each person is stated to have according to a Japanese proverb he used as inspiration. Check out this newest release as it gives the listener a unique look into who FACEvsIT really is. To follow along FACEvsIT’s journey, follow his Instagram and listen to his released music on Spotify!
Upcoming singer and songwriter Tanner Peterson has been making waves in the underground music scene with his self-crafted sound.
The artist has already achieved some monumental things in his career, including being verified on many platforms across social media, breaking the world record for longest street performance, and having his record accompany William Shatner, the oldest man to go to space on the Blue Origins New Shepherd Rocket.
Frost G is a budding hip-hop artist based out of Texas. The creative has been hard at work building his career for what has been almost a decade now. Many describe his sound as having an old-school hip-hop tone with a new-school feel.
The creative pulls inspirations from the greats of the past like Biggie, Nas, Jay Z, and some of Texas’ finest DJ Screw, Lil Flip, and Lil Keke to name a few. But what truly keeps Frost G going is being able to have a platform to share his stories. He wants fans to be able to listen to his music and resonate with the testimonies and use it as a means to get through whatever tough situation they are in.
This year Frost G has turned his game up a notch having already released 5 singles. His single and video with Texas legend Lil Flip titled “Texas Still Holdin” are generating quite the buzz for Frost G. There are plenty more hits like this to come from the creative including a possible mixtape coming very soon.
Keep up with Frost G’s journey on Instagram @frost_g74254
College students at the University of Central Florida do not want rapper B.o.B. to perform on their campus and have started a petition to get his scheduled concert canceled.
The “Nothin’ on You” chart-topper was booked to headline the school’s “Welcome Week” during its Pegasus Palooza on “Concert Knight” on August 25th.
But members of the UCF’s Jewish community have taken issues with his 2016 song called “Flatline,” which was packed with anti-Semitic language and conspiracy theories, according to FOX35 Orlando.
The group and their allies are hoping the school rescinds the invitation.
“My friends and I are appalled,” said Noah Galper, a sophomore at the school whose grandfather was imprisoned at Auschwitz at 19. “Not only about him, but the fact that our school provided this man a platform.”
The annual concert is called Pegasus Palooza, but some students say his presence will shift the meaning of the celebration for attendees.
Galper added, “Pegasus Palooza is supposed to be an event that helps returning students and new students become acclimated and show them what UCF is about. Our culture and who we are as Knights. As a community and as an institution, do we really want to show our students that we support people that spread hate?”
Junior Milo Gilad weighed in, blasting the school and those who selected B.o.B. as a guest, saying, “It’s completely incomprehensible to me that you can’t do a basic Google search before you select an artist that’s going to be headlining for a concert at a school where 10% of your students are Jewish.”
Hannah Schorr, a Jewish student at the school, didn’t know about the song and was initially excited. But after learning about B.o.B.’s views, she is also disappointed.
“We don’t need this performance. We don’t need him here. There’s another wonderful performer Bee Miller will be there and there’s a slew of other wonderful events,” she said.
The Lox have managed to survive so many iterations of Hip-Hop, at this point blessed is the only want to describe their careers. However, just getting by is not the Hip-Hop way. The great poet Maya Angelou famously said, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.” At the Rock The Bells festival, the group showed off their massive championship rings to an audience of over 13,000 pure fans of the culture.
Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss are now their own entity, a force to be reckoned with on many fronts. On this particular day, the whole crew is supporting Style’s Juices For Life, a business and health effort that has the rapper helping underserved communities in New York city urban areas. Jada is serving up drinks, nearly losing his icy “LOX” ring. He even joked about it until it turned up.
That’s the Yonkers-bred group though. Part blue-collar everymen, part platinum kings but all aspirational: living testaments to the possibilities that lie within perseverance, prayer and passion. The trio love the culture and it shows. AHH’s Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur and DJ Boy Wonda of WonWorld Studios caught up and talked about everything from LL Cool J’s impact to Hip-Hop turning 50 to their iconic Verzuz a year later to Hip-Hop staying in shape. Even DJ Technician is present to tell – in his own humble way – his contributions to the group.
AllHipHop: AllHipHop in the building, we got The Lox. Yo, first of all, I got to talk to y’all about the Verzuz. One year later and it was an international celebration.
Sheek: It was?
AllHipHop: It was, it was. And I stress no disrespect to Dipset or none of that, but it was a celebration of y’all, and y’all’s comradery and all y’all did. Do y’all have any thoughts on it a year later?
Sheek Touch: I think it went fast. I didn’t even know it was a year later. That’s wild. So that’s why you catch me off guard about my thoughts on it, because damn, already?
AllHipHop:What about you Kiss?
Jadakiss: Man, I’m a little bit done with Verzuz.
AllHipHop:You, you did two.
Sheek: He did five of them.
Jadakiss: Yeah. But that’s why, I love the love of it, but lets get onto the next thing. Yeah, it was, it was iconic. We definitely appreciate the iconic Hip-Hop moment.
AllHipHop: It’s a holiday now though, for real, for real.
Jadakiss: And we appreciate that acknowledgement, let’s keep Hip-Hop alive in all types of ways and keep it vibrant and keep the culture moving forward.
AllHipHop:Now we’re here at Rock the Bells, this whole food court has Hip-Hop-owned food businesses. It’s crazy.
Styles P: Shout out to Bun B, like I was saying earlier, I was telling Bun, this one is different. I, for me personally, I don’t remember if I was at the first Rock the Bells or not. But I’m pretty sure for me, this is the most important Rock the Bells since the beginning of it because as you said, usually we throw these events. There are these festivals, but we ain’t making the money on the food and drink side. Bun decided to make sure he reached out to us. Nas, Goes, E-40, Mia and it’s just been a beautiful event. I’m pretty sure Sweet Chick sold out, we are about to sell out. People are selling out. I think it’s really dope. I feel this one is all the way around hip-hop. Because even the people handling your food and your drink it’s hip-hop. I think it was super dope. I want to shout out Bun for making sure he put it together. Shout that definitely for throwing Rock the Bells, man, it’s just pretty awesome.
AllHipHop:Now real quick. Tech, let’s make something happen, man. I’m not trying to stay stuck on Verzuz, but we got to talk about it. When I put my post up, my celebration post, it was the joint where you said what’s on this shirt: “let’s make something happen.” I have to ask you how you feel being that fourth man on the sneak attack. And again, I’m not trying to cause no drama, but I’m just saying.
DJ Technician: Yeah, it was a great feeling, but I couldn’t have done it without them.
AllHipHop:Don’t be humble now.
DJ Technician: I’m not! If I ain’t have them to play s### for.
AllHipHop: Your timing was impeccable bro, like a sniper.
DJ Technician: That’s all Mr. Malaro taught me in the sixth grade about timing.
AllHipHop: Right.
DJ Technician: But I had my finger on the trigger. I was ready for anything.
AllHipHop:Yeah.
Sheek Touch: Yo, Tech don’t give us no clothes. He doesn’t give us no shirts or nothing.
Styles P: But nah, Tech is, besides us, when we speak about Tech. Like I was telling my homie the other day, he don’t just The Lox. We’re a great group, but he DJs for a lot of the greats. A lot of the greats have called Tech, to handle the 1’s and 2’s for them when you’re on that stage. And I think that’s a testament for who he is to be able to rock with the locks. The god Rakim, Ghost-N-Rae, Camp Lo and many others. That’s the testament to how dope on [the turntables]. So, we love him to mother f##### death.
AllHipHop: All the Tech – tech-nology. Hip-Hop’s turning 50 next year. We’re celebrating, we working into the celebration of it all. How do y’all feel about the culture now that it’s becoming a little more older, a little more mature.
Styles P: It’s not older. I’m 47. If Hip-Hop is 50, how is it really old? You know what I mean? I think any other genre you would call 50 an infant. Any other music? We’re not going to start calling it old and Hip-Hop. We’re going to control a narrative on that, man. You know, Hip-Hop is still brand new, dog.
AllHipHop: You know, Kiss. I saw you on a post where you were asking for new talent, what kind of talent are you looking for?
Jadakiss: That’s just really a plug to help some people that can’t really reach me, promote their music and help them out like that. That’s as far as that goes, but we just want to make new music, keep the culture vibrant. You know what I mean? Keep creating and put us up there where we are supposed to be. Hip-Hop is one of only genres that they break into sections East Coast, West Coast, down South. Good music is good music. Let’s not categorize it. And let’s go for another 50 years of Hip-Hop.
AllHipHop: Now. Crazy enough, AllHipHop turns 25 next year. Yeah, thanks man. Appreciate that. It’s crazy. I was doing, did a cover story with y’all about almost 20 years ago for The Source Magazines. It’s been a minute, but I want to ask y’all if y’all have any thoughts on AllHipHop, what we kind of brought to the table a little bit?
Jadakiss: I appreciate what you do for the culture. What y’all have done the way, not to put none of the other sites under the bus or none of that, but y’all keep it a clean slate and just deliver Hip-Hop, current events, and what’s going on in the state of Hip-Hop and things of that nature. You don’t, you don’t shine when somebody’s down. You don’t use that as you know, still power points. Yeah. You do it for the culture. Y’all one of the originators that started out one of the first sites that started and salute the 25 years. Let’s go for 25 more.
Sheek: Absolutely. No. I’m with you, bro. Y’all ain’t bend over yet, man. Y’all kept a solid from day one. Right?
AllHipHop: Rock the Bells. This, this whole festival is kind of crazy. Y’all have any LL thinking about the god, the GOAT. How do y’all feel about the festival in general?
Styles: I think it’s amazing. It was crazy as ‘Kiss was just saying, as they was going on the stage, I was walking, seeing uncle and he was… see them juices move too right out there.
Sheek: It just kind of make you think where Hip-Hop is going and for us to all salute big up each other, make each other proud and push each other to be better in other arenas besides MCing. I think that’s super dope. Like he said, Uncle L, let Bun put this together and here we have a food court. Trill mills food court, all our stuff.
AllHipHop: Y’all in serious shape. Y’all, y’all doing your thing. Health and hip-hop is important. You’ve all stressed it. Talk about that a little bit and just in terms of staying in shape, staying fit.
Styles: Louch was the first one, we get the credit. We do the juice and I’m louder. And I got a big mouth and I do but Louch, he’ll hit you like 7:30 in the morning like “What up? It’s a nice day (to workout). Get your mouths in. There’s never a picture with him being out of shape.
I think the motivation comes from all, all of us, right? Giving the f### about each other, giving a f### about our families, our situations, and just trying to be better. And we real MCs. We put, we give a f### about the raps. So we stand on point doing what we do.
AllHipHop: Every time I see Sheek, I want to lift weights.
Sheek: I told you already you doing it, man. I say it. I get it. I get it. Trust me. I get it.
AllHipHop: All right, man. Last question, last question. New album? What are we doing right now? Like we need a new one, man. I’m still listening to y’all old stuff like it’s brand new. Y’all, what y’all doing?
Jadakiss: We are creating. We are in there cooking up right now as we speak and we just stick to what we do. We don’t put ourselves in a bubble, but we working.
AllHipHop: All right. I will send it to y’all. I’ll send to y’all now. Seriously, man. I appreciate y’all love man. Salute.
His new album Drillmatic is a very good album, but the sales are not in alignment with the sales. Apparently, they had to make some tough decisions as they were choosing people for the work of art, that could serve as a double album.
Anyway, I am hearing some news, which is coming straight from his manager. Wack100 said that they did not want to spend the $150k for an NBA Youngboy verse. He said those amazing bars would cost about $150,000. I find this to be amazing, because I do not know a single bar from that young man. The Game is a well-known lyricist with the ability to bar it up with just about anybody.
Why wouldn’t they just pay NBA? The answer is simple – it didn’t make financial sense to do so. According to Wack, they expenses they put into all that would put them in the red. No pun intended.
The crazy thing is that they recorded the song, but it did not make it to the album. If you want to hear it, it is below. Also, you want more? You can hear Wack100 tell it all too.
Verzuz as a brand started out in the middle of the pandemic, where everybody was in the house staring at various screens. It was an amazing evolution, fast and furious. When it was strictly on the phones and people were in the safe haven of their homes, it was very different than what it turned into.
After a while we began to get live performances, Verzuz expanded beyond Instagram into other platforms like Apple. And then, it was sold to Triller. Timbaland and Swizz Beatz were the owners of the brand and apparently made a pretty penny from the sale. $28 Million! However, all was not well in paradise. Recently, headlines show that the two producing monsters sued the brand that purchase Verzuz And demanded their cheddar cheese from them.
In a recent interview with The Lox, Jadakiss, the dude that’s dominant in the brand of Verzuz battling, said he was about over with the versus situation. He didn’t say it in a malicious way, but he has done so many, climaxing with the battle against Dipset. Last but not least, is a recent battle between Jermaine Dupri and Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy.
This one is more interesting, because Ciroc liquor was a major sponsor when there were various battles. And now that the brand of Triller is leaning a bit, we are now seeing these two Titans of hip-hop culture go edit song for song. But they don’t seem to want to do it with Verzuz. I would imagine, they can apply the sponsorship dollars directly to their effort in Atlanta and make it a huge party in a bit. Those guys have major hits between the two of them and they spanned across so many different musical artists.
And, we have to really look at Verzuz a couple years for what it was. The world has changed dramatically since we saw people like Jill Scott and Erykah Badu sitting at home playing songs. I think it’s going to be important for Verzuz to show a new way of doing entertainment/business that helps them reestablish their foothold.
What do you guys think? I know one thing, they better get it together fast. Styles P is already calling for a boycott if Timbaland and Swizz “leave.” They still pretend that it is a partially Black owned entity, because a lot of the participants in the original Verzuz are apparent partial owners of Triller. But are they? I don’t know! I am not here to judge anyone involved, but we have to do the right thing for the culture.
Dwyane Wade noted he “has full authority” to decide on behalf of the “petitioning minor” and stated the change was so that Zaya could finally “conform with [her] gender identity.”
Per her parents’ custody agreement, Zaya’s mom, Siohvaughn Funches, does not have to grant permission to Wade for the change.
The petition reads, “Pursuant to the terms of the Final Custody Judgment, (Wade) has full authority to make decisions on behalf of the petitioning minor, and he is not required to receive consent from Ms. Funches-Wade. As a courtesy, Ms. Funches-Wade has received notice of this petition.”
“We are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community and we’re proud allies as well,” he said to the comedian. “We take our roles and responsibilities as parents very seriously.”
Wade continued, “So when our child comes home with a question when our child comes home with an issue when our child comes home with anything, it’s our job as parents to listen to that to give them the best information that we can, the best feedback that we can, and that doesn’t change now.”
The child also asked to be referred to with feminine pronouns (she/her) and said to her parents, “I would love for you guys to call me Zaya.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’s Bad Boy Entertainment and Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Recordings were two of the most successful labels to emerge in the 1990s. Could the public see the two legends on stage together in the near future?
After sparking an online conversation about the state of modern-day R&B, Diddy hopped on Instagram Live with several prominent artists to discuss the topic. For example, the Revolt founder spoke to Jermaine Dupri during an IG session.
The discussion between Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jermaine Dupri included Combs suggesting the legendary record executives take part in a hit-for-hit showcase. Producer/songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox was also on the call.
“JD, if you want that smoke, you can get that smoke anytime,” Diddy told Jermaine Dupri during the IG Live exchange. Dupri quickly responded, “Hey, relax, relax, relax.”
“Since we ain’t f###### around with Verzuz no more because they’re f###### around with our boys, we don’t need to be going against each other,” said Diddy. “Let’s come together and do that Bad Boy/So So Def in Atlanta. It ain’t no Verzuz, it’s just hit for hit.”
Former Bad Boy artist Styles P called for a boycott of Verzuz following the confirmation of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s legal fight with Triller. The Lox member stated, “Hip Hop people shouldn’t f### with [Verzuz] if Swizz and Tim [aren’t] involved. I sure wouldn’t. I wouldn’t watch it at all.”
Diddy’s “The R&B Conversation Pt 2” Instagram Live broadcast also featured appearances by R&B performers Summer Walker and Tory Lanez. The first edition saw Timbaland, Mary J. Blige, Tank, and Kehlani conversing with Diddy about the genre.
It looks like two Atlantic Records-signed rappers got into a back-and-forth exchange on social media. Lil Uzi Vert’s recent post caused Roddy Ricch to fire back at the Philadelphia native.
“Wtfffff 😂😂😂😂. Who is this? I only saw the boots. I hope this is just a normal person. BIG ASS BOOTS,” wrote Lil Uzi Vert on their Instagram Story in reaction to a photo of Ricch’s outfit.
Apparently, Roddy Ricch got wind of Lil Uzi Vert’s comments. “The Box” hitmaker took to his own Instagram Story to offer a response to the joke about his boots.
Lil Uzi Vert is currently dating JT of the City Girls rap group. She recently expressed her love for the Eternal Atake album creator around the time of their 27th birthday. It is not clear if Roddy Ricch was referring to JT in his IG posts.
The image of Roddy Ricch’s boots came from a still shot of DJ Khaled’s forthcoming music video featuring the Compton-raised rapper. Atlanta’s 21 Savage and Chicago’s Lil Durk also appeared in the picture.
Roddy Ricch released his own Live Life Fast studio LP in 2021. The project debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Lil Uzi Vert dropped the Red & White EP in July of this year. 2020’s Pluto x Baby Pluto with Future is Uzi’s most recent full-length project.
Nicki Minaj returned this year with “Super Freaky Girl.” The track has already broken Spotify records, and it appears to be in contention to open at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Music industry forecasters project Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” is competing with songs such as “Break My Soul” by Beyoncé, “As It Was” by Harry Styles, and “About Damn Time” by Lizzo for next week’s top spot.
“Super Freaky Girl” got a sales boost when Nicki Minaj released the “Roman Remix” version of the song. Minaj currently has the Top 4 songs on the iTunes chart with the clean, explicit, and remixed editions of her latest single.
If “Super Freaky Girl” does open in the #1 position of the Hot 100 chart, Nicki Minaj would become the first solo female rapper this century to achieve that feat. Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” debuted at #1 in 1998.
Minaj currently has two Number Ones in her discography. The leader of the Barbz scored her first Hot 100 chart-topper in 2020 as a featured guest on Doja Cat’s “Say So (Remix).”
Nicki Minaj already holds the record for most Hot 100 entries of all time by a female rapper (123). If she adds another Number One to her catalog, Minaj will only trail Cardi B (5) as the female rapper who has risen to the top of the Hot 100 most often.
The official visuals for “5 4 3 2 1” arrived today (August 19) as well. The Baby Keem-produced track is Offset’s first new solo song and music video in three years.
Offset reportedly began working on a new full-length body of work. The Atlanta area native previously presented the Gold-certified Father of 4 studio album in 2019.
Father of 4 featured Quavo, J. Cole, Cardi B, Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Big Rube, Gunna, CeeLo Green, and Gucci Mane. Since 2019, Offset appeared on songs by other artists such as Don Toliver, YBN Nahmir, Lil Tjay, DaBaby, and Shenseea.
Migos releasedCulture III in June 2021. The third album in the Culture series debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart with 130,000 first-week units. That LP hosts the “Need It” and “Straightenin” singles.