Month: June 2022

It was another trip down memory lane with Jim Jones as he revisited his moment with Kid Cudi at the inception of the Ohio rapper’s career. “Day N Nite” put Cudi on the map after the now-classic hit emerged in 2008. Although the single was featured on Man on the Moon: The End of Day, Cudi’s debut studio album, not many remember that Jim Jones was the person who introduced the track to the world—but he is certainly here to remind everyone.

While chatting with DJ Superstar Jay for SiriusXM, Jones was asked about hopping on the remix to “Day N Nite” long before the song became popular. He detailed the story and explained why he is “solely responsible for Kid Cudi’s career.”

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“Kid Cudi was a nobody,” Jim Jones said to begin his reasoning. “He worked in a f*cking store under Koch Records. I was signed to Koch Records. I didn’t even know Kid Cudi worked down there. Lisa Brunts’ nephew at the time was doing some work for me in my studio and sh*t, and he’s like, ‘Yo, I manage these video directors, I want them to shoot a video for you and sh*t like that.’ I’m like, ‘Show me they videos.’ They showed me the video, ended up being a Kid Cudi video that they shot for free for him, he on top of the roof lookin’ crazy.”

The rapper then continued, “They’re like ‘This is the kid that works inside that f*cking rock-n-roll store under Koch, they just did it for him,’ and I was like, ‘Give me the record, and I’ll let y’all shoot me a video.’ They got me the record, I did the record, they shot the video.”

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Jones explained that he then put the video on YouTube and someone over at Hot 97 downloaded it, and that’s how the song found radio play. He was asked if he ever got a check.

“Never. When he got his deal, they took me off the record and went for ads without me on the record… DJ Cassidy did that, you dig. You know I bumped into him, but that’s my man, though,” Jones added with a chuckle. “It’s always a joke, though, and sh*t like that, but yeah, it happens like that. But I’m solely responsible for Kid Cudi’s career.”

“Solely responsible. You can go tell him that, and he’s going to tell you, ‘He’s right.’” Listen to Jones share the story below.

After a certain someone tried to publicly humiliate her on the internet, Keyshia Cole has returned an uplifting message about persevering. The beloved R&B singer has been carefully planning out her final album, and as her global fanbase awaits more information about that release, Cole has continued to collaborate with her peers. Former NFL star Antonio Brown shared his Paradigm project, and on the album, Cole was featured on a track titled “Don’t Leave.”

There were rumors about flirtations between the two and of course, gossipers spread stories about Cole and Brown possibly dating. She even expressed that she missed him “a lot,” however, Brown made disrespectful posts about Cole online, including uploading a video where he told the singer, “We don’t want you!“

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The internet stood by Cole’s side and a few hours ago, she shared a gorgeous selfie with a message about steering clear of negative people—and while she didn’t even hint at anything being related to Brown, several social media users revisited the teachable moment.

“I will never understand how some people will go out of their way to hurt you, Or make u feel some type of way, out of spite,” she wrote. “Some people really AREN’T GOOD PEOPLE. I ain’t tripping. Just neva forgetting … forever take notes. I think it’s best not to let these people taint you… gotta be a cold world they living in. Especially when they KNO all the things you’ve gone though. Keep ya head up beautiful… you’ll be just fine! [purple heart emoji].”

After The Shade Room reshared the post, Cole jumped into the comments to add: “Thanks sometimes I need to let sh*t out.”

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Another of Gucci Mane’s artists has learned his fate after being sentenced. Back in 2018, Ralo was arrested on charges related to criminal conspiracy and drug trafficking. Prosecutors alleged that Ralo was apart of an criminal organization called Famerica and helped the group traffic nearly $2 million worth of marijuana from Georgia to California. Ralo was arrested in 2018 and has been jailed since that time, but back in March, he surfaced on Instagram with a promising update.

“I won’t be home until October 2023, but I made sure I bought my momma a new house, bought my n*ggas some new apartments, building my artist a new studio, and I’m buying everybody around me new cars as soon as I land next year,” he said.

However, it was reported today (June 1) that the 2023 mark may not happen, but his team is hopeful.

“The Judge sentenced Ralo to 8 years in Federal Prison, he was given over 4 years credit time served,” a post on Instagram read. “The BOP has also credited him 1 & 1/2 year for good time. He was recommended 1 year ankle monitor after the halfway house approve his home address; which will bring him home to us late next year, but our goal is for him to complete his GED or RDAP Drug program so we can get another year off his sentence.”

The caption added, “That will bring him home to us in less than a year. We need prayer.” Ralo’s comments were flooded with positive messages. Check out the post below. 

A teen rapper on the rise was gunned down in Washington, D.C. last week and now, his family has stepped forward with messages about gun violence. Justin Johnson, 16, was developing a name for himself within his city and he had aspirations of being the next rapper to take over the charts. However, it has been reported that his dreams were cut short last week after he became a fatal victim of the violence plaguing many youths on city streets. 

Last year, Johnson, known as 23 Rackz, dropped his Rookie of the Year project and even signed a record deal with a label, but his father, Michael Johnson, reportedly told FOX 5 News, “Nobody could get him to stay off the streets.“

“It takes a lot to get a kid out of that setting,” he added, admitting that he didn’t have much knowledge about his son’s developing rap career. 

“I heard a rap, one of his raps for the first time the other day,” Mr. Johnson said. “I didn’t even want to listen to it because I wanted him to go to school. He said, ‘I got one foot in and one foot out,’ in one of these raps, and, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ ‘Cause they were saying, ‘Justin come with us,’ his managers and them, ‘Come with us, you’ve got to put that behind you.’ But he said no, no. I’m better off right here.”

“I’d go to work, and he’d be gone when I come home. So we had a relationship of me trying to get him off the streets and him thinking, once he got money off his hands, he was gone,” he added. “And as far as guns on the street, he had been arrested one time for a gun, but D.C. won’t hold those kids. I begged the judges, P.O., keep him. Just keep him. But the next day, he was home. It’s so easy for these kids to get guns, it really is.”

The rapper’s older sister, Jamesa Hall, is not only grieved about the loss of her brother, but with the remarks she has been seeing online.

“It’s hard to see on social media that you know, he’s really gone and I see a lot of comments on social media saying like, ‘Oh well he was in the streets at 16 and he didn’t go to school, and this and that.’ He was an honor roll student,” said Hall. “They skipped him a grade. Like he was street smart and book smart. He was well before his time.”

She added, “A lot of people have different perceptions of him, but at the end of the day, with us at home, he was just a regular 16-year-old. It was never 23 Rackz in the house.”

According to the teen’s manager, he was trying to move 23 Rackz to Georgia to further his career, but because the rapper was fashioned with an ankle monitor due to a previous infraction, they were unable to change locations. We send our sincerest condolences to Justin Johnson’s loved ones during this difficult time. 

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Just days after the tragic news regarding the death of Arizona Cardinals star Jeff Gladney, the NFL has suffered yet another loss. Gladney reportedly died alongside his girlfriend during a car accident, however, it is unclear how Dallas Cowboys standout Marion Barber passed away. It has been widely reported that the former running back, who was drafted by the Cowboys in 2005, was found unresponsive at his home. 

Details remain scarce at the moment, but NBC-DFW 5 News reported that “police describe the investigation as an unattended death.” 

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Authorities in San Francisco reported that they received a call “about a welfare concern” this afternoon (June 1) and upon arrival, they located the 38-year-old philanthropist. Barber was known as an active member of his community and was recognized for the humanitarian work he executed through his organization, the Barber Foundation.

“We are heartbroken by the tragic death of Marion Barber III. Marion was an old-school, hard-nosed football player who ran with the will to win every down,” the Dallas Cowboys shared in a statement. “He had a passion for the game and love for his coaches and teammates. Our hearts go out to Marion’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

Billy Clark told reporters that he may have been Barber’s attorney, but they were much more. “For me. he was literally family and I’m so lost that I’m not prepared for this,” said Clark. A cause of death has yet to be shared. We offer our sincerest condolences to Marion Barber’s loved ones at this time.

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