Month: June 2021

T.I. is ready to bow out of the rap game, announcing his final album at the end of the music video for his new single “What It’s Come To.”

In recent months, the Atlanta rap legend and his wife, Tiny Harris, have been accused by over thirty women of sexual assault, rape, drugging, and more. A case that was built against them in Las Vegas was dropped, but an investigation remains open in Los Angeles. T.I. and Tiny have denied the accusations on numerous occasions. Most recently, Tip spoke out on his new song “What It’s Come To,” which we now know will serve as the first single from the rapper’s final album.

Back in 2017, Tip mentioned during his interview with The Breakfast Club that he was ready to step away from music. “I’m ready to get the hell outta [the rap game],” he said. “I got this next album, I got three albums in my head I’ve already conceptualized. Once I get them out, I’m done.”

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The album that he was referring to was called Kill The King and it appears as though he’s stuck with that title, announcing the body of work at the end of his new music video.

The official video for the track references the current situation that the Harris family has found itself in, and at the end, we get a glimpse of what the album cover will look like. “Kill The King, the final album, coming soon,” wrote the artist on the screen. It’s interesting to note that, while this title can certainly apply to Tip’s present situation, it was announced over four years ago.

Watch the video below and let us know what you think of T.I. retiring.

Late last week, reports surfaced suggesting that Mariah Carey dramatically quit Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label after an explosive meeting with the rap mogul. The “We Belong Together” singer signed with her frequent collaborator’s agency back in 2017 and her alleged departure came just three and a half years after signing to the label. 

She slammed these reports almost as soon as they emerged, penning on Twitter, “The only ‘explosive’ situation I’d ever ‘get into’ with Hov is a creative tangent, such as our #1 song ‘Heartbreaker’!! While the rumors of a dispute between the two were false, she has actually parted ways with the company. According to TMZ, however, it may have been for different reasons. 

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Sources close to the Grammy-winning singer tell the publication that Mariah favors working with a smaller team where she’s able to work with managers more closely. Jay’s agency offers a more wide-ranging business model.

According to the publication, at Roc Nation, major artists like Mariah could have more than 20 people working on her team in different departments like marketing, social media, music, merchandise, and more. Overall, she felt like it was time to cut it down to a more intimate group. 

Sources add that there was no “explosive argument” between the two legends as some publications reported, something Carey also took to Twitter to make clear. Apparently, the two already mutually decided a couple of months ago to amicably end the business relationship. 

Carey will be joining Range Media Partners, a move that coincides with her manager Melissa Ruderman doing the same. While Range is not necessarily a small agency, it uses a business model offering a smaller team of skilled managers for clients. 

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We haven’t heard any updates regarding Drake’s highly-anticipated upcoming album Certified Lover Boy in a while. The album was initially announced to be released at the beginning of this year but after Drake sustained a serious knee injury, he pushed back the release to focus on his recovery. He appears to be feeling much better, getting back in the studio in recent months and continuing his mysterious rollout. As the world speculates on when Drake plans on dropping the album, he continues to keep fans interested with possible teasers on who we can expect to hear from as features, including his frequent collaborators Future and Metro Boomin.

On Monday night, Drake hit the studio with Future and Metro Boomin, posting pictures on his Instagram account. Posting wizard and owl emojis as his caption, the trio of superstar musicians seemed to be thinking hard about something, possibly working on the perfect hook to their song together. 

Prince Williams/Getty Images

Historically, Future, Drake, and Metro Boomin teamed up on What A Time To Be Alive. There have been heavy rumors that Drake and Future might be planning on recording a sequel soon, and these photos will only serve to fuel that fire.

In the comments, everyone from Mark Wahlberg to Supah Mario is stating how excited they are about the reunion. “Can I get on??” asked Wahlberg. “Nostalgia! Very excited for this,” said producer Supah Mario. “Here we go!!!!” added DJ Paul.

What do you think we could expect from this? Will the song appear on Certified Lover Boy? Or are these two plotting something bigger?

Congresswoman Shiela Jackson reintroduced House bill H.R. 40, a bill that would establish a commission with the mandate of not only researching and studying the effects of slavery, but developing proposals for reparations for slavery, in January 2021. The bill passed through subcommittees and now awaits the full house vote in the near future.

California Governor Gavin Newsom became the first to sign a similar bill into effect at the state level back in November of 2020. CA Assembly Bill 3121 created a task force to start researching the best approach to take for giving out reparations. 

The bill also noted that the task force will also recommend eliminating state laws “that continue to disproportionately and negatively affect African Americans,” and propose the State of California issue “a formal apology on behalf of the people of California for the perpetration of gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity on African slaves and their descendants.”

Last Tuesday, the task force had its first official public meeting, signaling one step closer to finding solutions. The task force brings “together some of the best, the brightest minds to chart a path forward, to move to a more equal California” according to Governor Newsom.

According to Black&Magazine, attorney and activist Kamilah V. Moore was elected as chair. San Fransisco NAACP branch president and pastor Dr. Amos Brown were selected for vice-chair of the committee.

The other seven members of the committee include a senator, a California assembly member, several attorneys, a psychologist, and a social scientist. The diverse professions of the group will also be supplemented by help from various historians who can talk in-depth about the impact of slavery specifically in California.

The group is set to have another public meeting in July to announce what progress they have made on the road to reparations. They’re scheduled to meet a total of ten times in the next two years. Once they do finalize and report their findings, they would still need to pass another bill approving of any reparations.

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This morning Jeff Bezos, soon-to-be-former CEO and founder of Amazon, has announced he will be blasting into space by joining his aerospace company, Blue Origin’s first human flight next month. Bezos is, according to Forbes, the richest person in the world so he will be by far the richest person to ever go into space, ahead of other billionaires such as Elon Musk, who, while he has sent out multiple human flights from his company Space X, has yet to actually go to space himself.

57-year old Bezos said he has been dreaming of going into space since he was 5 years old, and also announced he will be bringing his brother, investor, and volunteer firefighter, Mark Bezos with him. The brothers will be launching from a remote location in West Texas along with an online charity auction winner, making up half of the 6-person flight. It is unclear who will fill the other half.

After 15 successful test flights using reusable rockets, Blue Origin will have its debut human flight scheduled for July 20th, on the 52nd anniversary of the first moon landing by Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. It will also take place 15 days after Bezos will step down as CEO of Amazon, as he announced months ago to focus more on Blue Origins and his newspaper, The Washington Post.

Blue Origins has named the capsule that is going to take Bezos into space, “New Shepard,” after Alan Shepard, the first American to go into space via a Mercury Capsule in 1961. Blue Origin’s capsule is said to be 10x roomier as well as have a huge window at every seat, the biggest of any aircraft. Bezos posted on Instagram saying “To see the Earth from space, it changes you. It changes your relationship with this planet, with humanity. It’s one Earth.”

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The lead-up to R. Kelly’s trials has been filled with twists and turns. In July 2019, Kelly was taken into custody while taking his dog out for a walk and was hit with several charges related to sex crimes. Since that time, the allegations against the disgraced singer have mounted as federal investigations pushed forward in several states. Kelly has remained incarcerated in Chicago and in just two months, his New York case is slated to begin in Brooklyn. However, on Monday (June 7) evening, news broke that the singer has encountered a bit of a snag now that the top two people on his legal team have asked to be removed from Kelly’s case.

It’s reported by the Chicago Sun-Times that Steve Greenberg and Michael Leonard, two attorneys who have represented Kelly for a number of years, were both fired by Kelly just before they officially filed court documents with a judge. They issued an official statement regarding the last-minute move.

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“Our reasons for withdrawal are significant and it is impossible, in our belief, for us to be able to continue to properly represent Mr. Kelly under the current circumstances,” Greenberg reportedly wrote in a letter to the judge. In a statement, he added, “Ultimately, as trial lawyers and in the interests of the client, we weren’t comfortable professionally with allowing lawyers who have never tried federal criminal cases to have significant trial responsibilities. That approach was not to everyone’s liking.” He also said he wishes “the best” for R. Kelly and that “we’re rooting for him.”

There seemed to be a power issue with the legal team as other lawyers, namely Thomas Farinella and Nicole Becker, were reportedly “seeking greater roles” in the trial, reports the Sun-Times. In his Brooklyn trial, Kelly faces accusations that he was in charge of an “enterprise” that consisted of his entourage, including people who worked for him, who would find and procure girls and women for him to have sex with. 

In a separate joint statement to TMZ, Greenberg and Leonard said, “We refused to try a case with lawyers who don’t have the appropriate level of experience and skill because that is not in the client’s best interest. It is a shame that lawyers can’t suppress their own egos or self-interest and do or act in the client’s best interest.”

R. Kelly’s fans, and several entertainers, continue to vocalize support for him. It’s unclear if this latest update from his legal team will delay Kelly’s trial.

R. Kelly & Steve Greenberg – Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images

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It may be time for another Saweetie single and she’s previewing her new music for the world. We all bore witness to the public meltdown of her relationship with Quavo, and while it’s unknown when they officially called it quits, both rappers have made it clear that they’ve moved on. Some believe that they’ve been taking subliminal jabs at one another in their music, and it may be Saweetie’s turn, judging from the lyrics of this new track.

Saweetie recently appeared in video clips where listeners received a full taste of what’s on the horizon for the rapper. “He treated me wrong now you f*ckin’ me right / He buy me flowers you flood me with ice / Huh, I wanna thug n*gga, yeah / I love a thug n*gga,” she’s heard rapping in one the clip.

Rich Fury / Staff / Getty Images

“He bout that talk but see you bout that life / I wanna thug n*gga.” In a second clip, Saweetie hypes herself up with her own rhymes as she enjoys her tunes. She previously shared that she’s been under artist boot camp as she perfects her skills and her fans are ready for her to release her forthcoming anticipated official debut album, Pretty B*tch Music.

The project is expected to arrive sometime in the summer and we’ll keep you updated on that once more information has been shared. In the meantime, check out Saweetie’s previews as well as a few reactions below.