Month: April 2022

If we could get manifestation tips from any celebrity on the planet, it would have to be Rick Ross, who continues to make his childhood dreams come true as he settles into his incredible Atlanta estate, dubbed “The Promise Land.”

On Friday, April 1st, the 46-year-old hopped on Instagram – as he so often does – to flex his latest luxurious purchase; a fire truck. “I just bought a fire truck, you feel me?” he asked his 14.4 million followers. 

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The Biggest Boss then touched on his Florida roots, saying, “Growing up in Carol City, when the ice cream truck came down the street, we used to jump on the back of the ice cream truck and hold on. Fire trucks used to drive by all the time.”

“I always wanted to ride on one of them,” the “Aston Martin Music” hitmaker said of the emergency vehicles he saw as a young boy. “So guess what? I bought a fire truck. It’s going down!”

The father of four went on to drop off several videos of his new whip – the latest in a collection of hundreds, which he can finally drive after getting his license last year – revealing that it will be on display at his upcoming Rick Ross Car & Bike Show on May 21st.

As 102.7 Kiis FM reports, the fire truck features a plaque explaining that it’s from the U.S. Department of the Navy, and was manufactured back in 1968.

“And yes, it runs,” Ross assured viewers. “We ain’t playing no games… My collection is unmatched.” What are your thoughts on the Richer Than I Ever Been artist’s new purchase? Let us know in the comments.

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As the weather continues to get hotter, so does our Fire Emoji playlist, which recently received a handful of must-listen new tracks for your Saturday streaming.

At the top of our list is Gucci Mane’s collaboration with Paper Route Empire’s Key Glock and the late Young Dolph on “Blood All On it,” which has been receiving immense praise across social media and our website.

Next, we have a Fivio Foreign x City Girls link up ahead of the former’s B.I.B.L.E. record, which he recently unveiled the tracklist for. “I just got my hair did to shit on hoes like it’s a hobby (Yeah) / Every bitch that hate on me got an ugly face and a botched body / I ain’t goin’ there, that’s an opp party (Nah) / I’m a bad bitch, I’m a Black Barbie (Haha),” JT ferociously spits on her verse.

One of the biggest releases to arrive this New Music Friday would have to be Dreamville and DJ Drama’s D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape, which earned itself several placements on our Fire Emoji update. Both “Stick” and “Starting 5” have been added, but we suggest you stream the entire project from start to finish when you’ve got the time.

Freddie Gibbs and Rick Ross also brought the heat this weekend, melting the beat on “Ice Cream” – coming in at just over two minutes long. 

Other noteworthy solo efforts include “Buss It All Down” by Tee Grizzley and “In My Head” by Lil Tjay. Check out the full update below, and look out for our new R&B Season playlist, arriving tomorrow afternoon.

The U.S House of Representatives passed the MORE Act, a bill that would end federal prosecution on marijuana by removing it from the banned controlled substances list. This is the second time the bill has been passed by the House, but not will have to face the Senate.

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungment (MORE) Act was introduced by House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a Democroat from New York per Forbes. The House passed the bill with 220 “yea” votes to 204 “nay” votes. As of now, marijuana is only legal for adult use in 19 states and medical use in 36 states. While the bill would end the federal ban, states would have their own say in legalization. The marijuana industry garnered almost $30B in revenue last year in 2021.

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During his opening statemnt, Nadler said, “Whatever one’s views are on the use of marijuan for recreational or medicinal use, the policy of arrest, prosecution, and incarceration at the federal level has proven both unwise and unjust.” He added, “For far too long, we have treated marijuana as a criminal justice problem, instead of as a matter of personal choice and public health.” African Americans have been disproportionately criminilzed over possession of marijuna in the U.S, despite the success of the industry. 

The MORE Act will have to go up against a handful of other bills that are headed to the Senate. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Cory Booker and Ron Wyden, are set to formally introduced the federal decriminlization bill, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act sometime in April. The MORE Act will need 60 votes to pass the senate. 

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The day after filming a music video with Cardi B, New York drill rapper Dougie B landed himself in cuffs. Per the New York Post, the 25-year-old was arrested outside of the Bronx County Hall of Justice after shots were fired in the courthouse’s parking lot. 

Police allege that Dougie was among a group of men who got into an argument in the E. 161st St. parking lot following a car collision. Shots were fired, but no one was injured during the confrontation. Court officers raced over to the courthouse during which at least five men were taken into custody. 

On Wednesday night (March 30), Dougie B was filming the music video for an upcoming remix of Kay Flock’s “Shake” with Cardi B in the Bronx. Dougie B’s assistance on other collars including “Brotherly Love,” “T Cardi,” and “Turn” have also helped get the drill rapper some notice. 

The New York drill scene has come under a lot of scrutiny by New York Mayor Eric Adams. After the recent murders of artists like C-Hii Wvttz and Tdott Woo, plus the arrests of Kay Flock and C Blu, Adams has called for a ban on drill rap video. Back in February, Adams met with a handful of New York rappers including Maino, Fivio Foreign, and B-Lovee to discuss the sub-genre and its connection to the increase in gun violence in NYC. 

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Bill Maher is back with another hot take. Following in the footsteps of comedian Tom Segura, the 66-year-old has come forward with his opinion on “The Slap” – ultimately suggesting that it’s up to Jada Pinkett Smith to invest in a wig if she doesn’t want people to comment on her shaved head.

On Real Time with Bill Maher the host addressed the infamous incident that took place at the 94th Academy Awards after Chris Rock cracked a joke at the actresses’ expense, triggering her husband, Will Smith to take out his anger on the comedian.

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“If you are so lucky in life as to have that be your medical problem, just say ‘Thank God,'” Maher said to his guests last night – New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang, and attorney Laura Coates.

He went on, “It’s not life-threatening. It’s part of – for most people, 80% of men, 50% of women – it’s part of aging. Aging is, trust me I know, it’s the degradation of the flesh. It happens to all of us.”

Offering up some unsolicited advice to Pinkett Smith, Maher said, “And you know, just put on a f*cking wig like everybody else at the Oscars if it bothers you so much.”

Elsewhere in his commentary, the New Yorker asserted his opinion that the Gemini Man star’s behaviour exposed ugly “aspects of society” such as “toxic masculinity, victim culture, and liberal hypocrisy.”

Yang added, “I do feel like it’s part of the job of a world-famous celebrity attending an award show to absorb mild insults directed at you and yours. I ran for office and people said things around me I didn’t like and I didn’t get up and smack anyone.”

Do you agree with the likes of Bill Maher and Tom Segura, who have been urging Jada Pinkett Smith to buy a wig, or do you think that they’re in the wrong for their comments? Let us know below.

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Rihanna’s maternity style continues to amaze us. While the 34-year-old spent the earlier days of her pregnancy stepping out in more revealing looks, during a recent date night with her beau, A$AP Rocky, the “Sex With Me” singer opted to cover her bump and pay tribute to her man in a cute and comedic way.

As per Daily Mail, the Fenty Beauty founder and the rapper were spotted headed to Craig’s in West Hollywood on Friday night, wearing matching ‘AWGE’ caps, proudly repping the latter’s creative agency.

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While their hats matched, the rest of their looks differed, but still coordinated beautifully. For her part, the expecting mother pulled on a pair of medium wash jeans, and a white graphic tee that reads, “Who dat is? Dat’s jus my baby daddy,” underneath a cheeky photo of Minnie and Mickey Mouse hanging out – stylishly dressed, of course.

For accessories, Ri kept it simple, wearing a long gold dollar sign chain and a watch. On her feet, she rocked a pair of yellow, red and grey sneakers. 

Rocky’s OOTD also saw him wearing jeans in a similar shade, although his boasted more unique details. On his top, the “Fashion Killa” wore a navy blue zip-up hoodie, complete with reflective stripes on the sleeves.

With his oversized black sunglasses, gold bracelet, and fuzzy brown boots, the rapper looked ready for his dinner date out with his girl ahead of the arrival of their first child together.

The last time we saw A$AP and Rihanna coordinate their outfits was at Paris Fashion Week, when they attended Virgil Abloh’s posthumous Off-White Runway – read more about that here, and tap back in with HNHH later for any updates on your favourite celebrities.

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Universal Music Group is the next label to announce a program for certain legacy artists to receive royalties without having recoupded their advance payments, per Billboard. The company revealed the plan on March 31 in their environmental, social, and governance report. UMG joins Sony Music and Warner in this new program which will kick off sometime this year. 

Beggars Group orginailly started this mission in 2020, aiming to correct bad label deals, especially for Black artist who were locked into exploitative contracts with low royalty rates. The independent label cleared all unrecouped debt on artists advances 15 years after an artist’s last contractual album. Back in 2001, UMG did the same on a smaller scale through its Motwon/UMG Fund, which gave health and welfare grants to artists and their spouses per Pitchfork. 

Sony Music initially announced they would begin payouts to legacy artists and producers back in 2021. The only catch was indiviausl had to be signed to the company prior to 2000 and have yet to recoup their record advnaces. The new policy deemed “Legacy Unrecouped Balance Program” was a part of their new initiative called “Artists Forward” which aimed to improve the communication with artists. 

Warner Music Group also recently announced their role in the new initiative back in February. Their program will launch July 1 and will also only cover artists who were signed to the company before 2000. Producers, engineers, mixers, and remixers will also qualify for WMG’s legacy program. 

The new program is arguably one of the best moves considering many artists have not been rightfully paid for their contributions even as their music continues to reach the masses. 

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