Month: October 2021

Last night, Nelly took the stage at the 2021 BET Hip-Hop Awards where he was the recipient of the I Am Hip-Hop Award. Upon receiving the honor, the diamond-certified St Louis rapper/country star joined the likes of Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Master P, and LL Cool J. 

In addition to securing the prestigious award, Nelly also held it down for the fans with a medley performance lined with classic hits. Beginning with Country Grammar favorite “E.I,” the longtime veteran segued into “Country Grammar” without the faintest sign of a backing vocal track. Next up is a solo rendition of “Air Force Ones,” or at least the iconic chorus; that one might have been tricky without the Lunatics on board.

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Jermaine Dupri takes the stage for the Jagged Edge banger “Where The Party At,” while “Grillz” finds Nelly reuniting with an iced-out Paul Wall. Longtime Nelly fans will be pleased to see City Spud emerge to spit a fragment of his “Ride Wit Me” verse, before he teases the masses with a snippet of his Kelly Rowland-assisted “Dilemma.” “That’s enough of that shit,” he jokes, sliding into the rambunctious tandem of “Flap Ya Wings” and “Hot In Herre.”

Though Nelly has largely shifted away from the hip-hop sound, his recent performance highlights a time where he essentially had the game on lock in the early millennium. Check it out for yourself, especially if you look back fondly on that particular era. Congratulations to Nelly for solidifying himself as the latest winner of the I Am Hip-Hop award.

WATCH: Nelly puts on a show at the BET hip-hop awards.

Award shows are some of the most polarizing content television has to offer. 

Between skepticism surrounding both the nomination and voting processes and the opportunity to see the biggest acts in the world accept honors for their accomplishments, award shows can be the best of both worlds and often leave fans on either side of the fence. 

This year’s BET Hip-Hop Awards, held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, did just that. 

With some of the biggest names in hip-hop like Lil Baby (Hip-Hop Artist of the Year), J. Cole (Lyricist of the Year), Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion (Song of the Year, Video of the Year, Collaboration of the Year) bringing home some hardware and a newcomer like Yung Bleu grabbing the title of Best New Hip-Hop Artist and performances from Young Thug, Latto and Bia, the 2021 rendition of the BET Hip-Hop Awards put the genre’s entire spectrum fully on display and sparked conversation in a couple different pockets of the internet.

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Beginning with fans not even knowing that the hip-hop awards show was being televised last night (the actual event took place a couple of days ago, on October 1) to Tyler, the Creator (Best Hip-Hop Album & Cultural Influence Award) and Nelly (I Am Hip-Hop Award) winning two of the most prestigious awards the rap game has to offer, fans took to Twitter to let us know exactly how they felt about the BET Hip-Hop Awards. 

Check out Twitter’s reaction to last night’s award show and let us know how you felt about the winners and performers down in the comments. 

Kid Cudi’s Man On The Moon: The End Of Day was a monumental album for hip-hop, marking the arrival of the Cleveland-born Lonely Stoner, who rapped honestly about his mental health, overcoming difficult obstacles, and his larger-than-life dreams. The space-themed album ended up becoming one of the most impactful releases of its time, but some reviews were overly harsh when MOTM was first released.

Most notably, Pitchfork has come under fire for handing out very low scores to albums that probably deserved higher, including for MOTM1. Cudder’s album was ranked as a 4.1, which does not accurately reflect the influence it had on future generations of hip-hop artists, or the overall quality of the music. Even the animated cartoon character Peppa Pig got a score of 6.5 on their album release, which makes it feel like a slap in the face that Cudi scored two points lower for an album that helped so many people through hard times. As Pitchfork has been re-scoring some of their album reviews, Cudi spoke up and responded to a fan who requested the publication fixes MOTM1 next, claiming that it’s not necessary because everybody already knows it’s a near-perfect album.

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“Pitchfork has never givin me good ratings, and here we are, years later and im still here. Its ok man. They dont need to change it,” said Cudi in a tweet. “The entire world knows, even my haters, that this album was the one that changed hip hop forever.”

When somebody pointed out that Peppa Pig had a higher score, Cudi responded with a face-palm emoji. He also reflected on how he used to think negative reviews would set him back.

“I think when I was younger I thought it would hurt my career,” he admitted. “Like the fans would listen to the reviews and not give the music a chance. Then, I realized over the years after I survived each era and made album after album, that nothing anyone could ever say would stop my light.”

Do you think Man On The Moon should be re-scored still?

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Whenever Druski goes live on Instagram, it’s generally a pretty entertaining watch. The comedian is presently opening up on tour with J. Cole and 21 Savage but in his spare time, he continues to be a force on social media, collecting hundreds of thousands of views every time he decides to go live. On Tuesday night, Druski came through once again, inviting people like Drake, Ella Mai, Jake Paul, and others into his world. 

The influencer had countless hilarious moments during the stream, but some of the funniest came when he was speaking to Drake. The Canadian rapper called in and discussed potentially signing to Druski’s Coulda Been Records, dropping his OVO label, and offering to get J. Prince on the line, which terrified Druski. “Don’t do that,” repeatedly said Druski, before showing Drake what his life could be like, showing off his modest living quarters while on tour. While giving a tour of his bedroom, Drake bounced out, seemingly uninterested in living life with such low standards.

Elsewhere during the live stream, Druski was joined by Ella Mai. The two seemingly had good chemistry, joking around at every turn. But when it came time for Ella to “audition” for Druski’s record label, the comedian appeared to have made his mind up, hanging up on the decorated R&B singer.

Druski was also on the call with Jake Paul, who he slammed the phone on while he was freestyling.

Check out some highlights from the live below, and let us know if you were tuned in.

It is unclear what led up to Ray J’s recent hospitalization, but the reality star mogul is reportedly battling an illness. Days ago, we reported on Ray J wiping his Instagram clean while offering in his bio that his marriage to Princess Love had ended. He declared himself to be single, but after screenshots went viral, the Love & Hip Hop Hollywood star decided to delete that, as well.

Ray has been relatively quiet on social media recently until Tuesday (October 5) when Hollywood Unlocked exclusively reported that he was hospitalized in Miami.

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According to the outlet, Ray J was in a hospital alone, but he hopped in the comments to clarify a few things. 

“God is good [thumbs up emoji],” he wrote. “Family with me – just can’t be n here too much sickness.” He added, “I can’t have visitors because they isolated they room  been on my with my family everyday all day.” 

He didn’t offer any other information about contracting pneumonia or what his physicians have told him about his recovery, but because we’re in the thick of a pandemic, people have quickly asserted that Ray J may have come down with a case of COVID-19. Whatever his medical issues may be, we’re sending positive vibes his way and hope for a speedy recovery.

Check it out below.

When it comes to staying the course amid criticism, Sha’Carri Richardson knows how to keep her eyes on the prize. The track and field champion was thrust into the mainstream spotlight earlier this year, but as quickly as she was applauded for her Olympic trials, she became the subject of debate following her suspension. We reported on Richardson testing positive for THC ahead of the Olympics, and although she was not able to participate, she has promised her supporters she will see them at the next competition.

Her often boastful comments have caused people like Usain Bolt to attempt to humble her, but Richardson is confident in her career. The 21-year-old pint-sized sprinter continues to highlight her accomplishments, and this time she did so on her Instagram Story.

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Richardson shared a screenshot showing the Top 5 100 Meters runners in her demographic for the 2021 season. She placed third with 10.72 seconds, just 0.12 under second place and 0.18 under first. Back in August, she placed last in her race, causing her detractors to tease her online.

“Not bad for last, next season will be legendary,” she wrote. Then, she reminded people that regardless of her recent placements, she’s still riding high. “That’s 3rd in the world & fastest American [fingers crossed emoji] thankful despite.” Check it out below.

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The company was under fire over allegations of racism, and now, a former employee is over $100 million richer. Back in August, Melvin Berry, a former worker, was awarded $1 million for the racism he allegedly endured while working for Tesla, and this week, the news was shared that Owen Diaz also scored a win against the company.

According to reports, Diaz was a contract worker for Tesla and was hired back in 2015, but he claimed that he battled being called racial slurs and fought through a hostile work environment.

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During a jury trial, Diaz reportedly testified that he, along with other Black Tesla employees, regularly faced discriminatory remarks from their colleagues, were told to “go back to Africa,” and would often find racist language graffitied in the company restrooms.

A report by CNBC stated that Diaz received much more than he asked for as the jury awarded him “$130 million in punitive damages and $6.9 million for emotional distress… A pending class-action lawsuit in Alameda County in California — Vaughn v. Tesla Inc. — also alleges that Tesla is rife with racist discrimination and harassment.”

“We were able to put the jury in the shoes of our client,” said Diaz’s attorney J. Bernard Alexander. “When Tesla came to court and tried to say they were zero tolerance and they were fulfilling their duty? The jury was just offended by that because it was actually zero responsibility.”

Tesla issued a lengthy statement regarding the verdict and what witnesses testified to, and their reaction has been quite controversial. You can read through that here.

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He has yet to address the allegations against him, but Robin Thicke is in hot water. The award-winning Soul singer has maintained a career free of seual assault allegations until days ago when model Emily Ratajkowski accused him of inappropriate behavior while on set for the music video to Blurred Lines back in 2013.

Ratajkowski penned a new book that reads as a collection of essays, My Body, and The Sunday Times published an explosive excerpt. “Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt the coolness and foreignness of a stranger’s hands cupping my bare breasts from behind. I instinctively moved away, looking back at Robin Thicke,” she wrote.

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Ratajkowski also alleged that Thicke was drunk and stumbling on set, and now, she explained to PEOPLE why she decided to come forward about the incident.

“I was an unknown model and if I had spoken out or complained, I would not be where I am today; I would not be famous,” she said. “I wrote a book about the evolution of my politics and that includes a lot of different experiences from my career and my life and the way that I felt and thought about those experiences have evolved. I hope people are able to read the essay and understand the nuance behind these kinds of situations.”

Diane Martel, the director of “Blurred Lines,” confirmed that the incident happened because she saw it with her own eyes and stated she ended the shoot immediately afterward.

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It has been a busy day for little Papa Bear as his birthday festivities look to have been a success. Nicki Minaj knows how to celebrate in style, so it was only fitting that she made sure her baby boy had a birthday that he, and the guests, would enjoy. The one-year-old posed for pictures with family and friends, and Nicki made sure that her only child would be treated like a King.

We previously shared a few stills from Papa Bear’s birthday party, but Minaj has added more as the day has unfolded. “The kids were so [praying hands emoji] omg. The absolute best. They did face painting, making balloons, making headbands, bouncy house, photo booth, etc. and once everyone left I forgot we didn’t cut the cake ‼️‼️‼️”

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“I had to bring my baby out in his pajamas. Boy u gon get this bday song whether u like it or not,” Minaj joked. “It was so much fun. To everyone who sent a gift, he hasn’t opened gifts yet but thank you, love you. Happy 1st bday [bear emoji]. My world, my everything… yes I know I’m spamming your timeline but it’s for my pumpkin pie munchkin.”

On her Instagram Story, Minaj highlighted Lil Wayne’s generous gifts and was in disbelief. She tagged her longtime friend and wrote, “I just opened the bags & I’m shock… this is insane. I love you so much. This is A LOT OF STUFF. OMG.” 

Check it out below.

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