Month: June 2022

Brooklyn’s Own J.I. Drops New Mixtape “Young & Restless Vol. 1 Baby Don”

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Brooklyn rapper J.I. might not be one of his city’s most popular rappers today, but his moniker as “The Prince of New York” is well-earned. After his impressive performance on Jermaine Dupri’s reality show The Rap Game and his hit 2019 hit “Need Me,” J.I. has been enjoying steady success.

The 20-year-old rapper and singer earned a Drake cosign in April of 2020 and has proven to be a versatile crooner and trap artist. He’s even tapped into his Puerto Rican roots on the aptly titled “Spanglish” with the island’s own Myke Towers.

J.I. returns this year with a new mixtape, Young & Restless Vol. 1 Baby Don. The release comes from his deal with Interscope via G*Starr Ent./Geffen Records. He’s also released the video for its opener, “Relapse,” which sets the tone for the introspective and ethereal songs that follow.

“Toxic” goes into bitter relationship bars, “Stronger” is confident yet self-aware, and a sling of previous singles like “Murda,” which is dangerously catchy and bouncy, demonstrate the effective songwriting and distinct vocal tone that J.I. displays.

The Prince of New York been making hip-hop since he was battle rapping in 2015, and we were lucky enough to speak with him during his blow-up in 2020. He grew up inspired by artists like Biggie Smalls, Tupac, Nas, and Jay-Z, who he interestingly wasn’t a huge fan of until he started rapping and writing himself.

On this record, J.I. really lets the melodies shine and allows himself to use multiple skills to tell his story, whether it be his wistful vocal tone, his punch lines, or a sticky melody. While the album does shift from heartache to hard bangers, J.I.’s signature style and delivery is still intact, making his diversions recognizable.

He often drawn comparisons to A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Lil Tjay, both for their vocal tones and origins, which only emphasizes that J.I. is still poised to become another addition to the roster of New York hip-hop exponents in the 2020s.

Check out the tracklist below and let us know what you think of The Prince of New York’s latest effort. You can also check out our episode of “Snack Review” with the Brooklyn rapper below.

Young & Restless Vol. 1 Baby Don Tracklist:
1. Relapse
2. I Ain’t Gon Lie
3. Stronger
4. Morning
5. Toxic
6. No Hook
7. Wings
8. Murda
9. Taken For Granted
10. Right Away
11. Riot
12. Love Letter

Russell Westbrook Tells Skip Bayless “Watch Your Mouth” After “Westbrick” Comment

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Russell Westbrook’s first season with the Los Angeles Lakers did not go in his favor. The 33-year-old faced plenty of struggles on the court, and he was not too arrogant to admit it. In a press conference following a 21-point loss, Westbrook stated, “I’m not a quitter. It’s not in my genes. I don’t quit, regardless of what the hell is going on. I’m going to fight to the end, and if it don’t work, that’s cool, too. I can live with the results.” 

His lack of skills on the floor resulted in him receiving a pretty hateful nickname– Westbrick. Thousands of watchers began referring to the father of three as this due to his failed shot attempts. He’s confronted people in the past about saying it– obviously feeling like it’s a sign of disrespect– and he’s still defending his name ’til this day.

Skip Bayless, a sports commentator, made a post on Twitter that rubbed Russ and his wife the wrong way. He wrote, “Lakers acquire a 2nd-round pick, take Michigan State’s Max Christie, who shot only 32% from 3 last season. Perfect! He’ll fit right in with LeBron and Westbrick.”

After coming across his statement, Russ confronted him head-on via the app. “Yoooo… watch your mouth. Don’t say anything here you wouldn’t say to my face,” he wrote. His wife of six years, Nina, also weighed in on Skip’s insult. “It’s very disheartening that you would choose to continue to shame my family name,” she started, “… It’s extremely hurtful.”

This isn’t the first time Skip has taken shots at the professional basketball player. Back in April, he theorized that Russ would be out of the NBA at age 35 and that he “will not be able to find another home in this league.”

Erica Mena Shares Unfaithful Texts From Safaree, Accuses Him Of Preying On A Minor

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Erica Mena has been taking no prisoners in her fight with Safaree and his new partner Kimbella Matos. Mena called Matos a “prostitute,” and the argument has spiraled from there.

Now, Erica is escalating the beef even further. In recent Instagram stories, Mena showed screenshots of texts from Safaree in which he looks to be begging to get her back. “@Safaree you might wanna show your whore what you really be on behind her back,” Mena wrote.

Erica posted another screenshot with more of her conversation with Safaree, and captioned it, “I could post more but I really don’t want you to be any more insecure than you already are.” Mena also leveled some serious accusations at Safaree, writing in another story, “Safaree while we here tell @djself what you was doing with his daughter at 15 a few years back?” The allegation has yet to be corroborated. 

Kimbella Matos has not been quiet about the mud Mena has been slinging in her direction. Previously, Matos had posted screenshots between Safaree and Mena, attempting to paint Mena as an obsessive lover. “All you do is text his phone about me! Give it up!” Matos wrote. Matos had also uploaded a rant of her own, directed straight at Mena. “Keep my name out your mouth,” she said in the video. “For someone who’s consistently calling other women prostitutes, meanwhile, you have slept with the whole industry for free and dogged out and was recently selling your own p*ssy to a whole soccer player in New York City and you wanna discuss about prostitution?”

Hopefully the beef between the three can be resolved soon. Take a look at Mena’s accusation of Safaree’s relations with a minor below.

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John Lennon Allegedly Had An Affair With His Much Younger Assistant Thanks To Yoko Ono

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John Legend was an undeniably controversial figure during his time here on Earth, and as TMZ reports, a new documentary is giving fans a closer look at the intimate details of his love life, including an affair that was allegedly set up by his own wife.

The new film, which just premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, claims that The Beatles member was romantically involved with his assistant, May Pang, during the 1970s.

Brenda Chase/Getty Images

The Lost Weekend: A Love Story was narrated by the rumoured lover herself, who claims that she initially met Lennon and his bride when she was just 19 years old and had landed a job at The Beatles’ Apple Records music company in New York City.

In the documentary, it’s unveiled that the famous couple liked May so much that they asked her to become their own personal assistant, which went on for several years until 1973 when Yoko insisted that May go out with John.

At the time, the married pair were reportedly not getting along, and out of fear that her husband would start seeing other people she suggested that their assistant get involved with him herself.

By now, she had aged a bit at 22, though Lennon was a decade older. May said that “John had previously told Yoko he found her sexually attractive, though she didn’t have romantic feelings toward him when he first pursued her.”

The whole affair spanned 18 months; it began with a kiss in an elevator and even saw them move across the country together to Los Angeles, where the musician picked up his craft with Paul McCartney once again.

May and John’s relationship became so serious that they sent joint Christmas cards at one point, although what they had remained a secret to everyone outside of their close friend group.

Once Yoko realized that Lennon had fallen in love, she fought hard to win him back – check out throwback photos of the famous duo below.

Central Press/Getty Images

Fox Photos/Getty Images

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2 Chainz & His Son Talk About Going To Space On Their Podcast

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Earlier this month, 2 Chainz revealed that he and his son, Halo Epps, would be starting their own podcast on YouTube. Titled Me And Halo, the show consists of the father and son duo talking about any, and every, thing that crosses their minds. From sports news to life updates, the two are giving fans an inside look at their relationship.

On the latest episode of their series, 2 Chainz, whose real name is Tauheed Epps, took a dive into his son’s coursework– which he admitted that he’s paying nearly $100,000 for. “Who else [are] you supposed to know at the school that I’m paying all that money for,” he asked jokingly. Halo decided to talk about science, saying, “I know one astronaut, she was the first black astronaut to ever go into space.”

“Mae Jemison,” his father replied before asking if he would ever like to go into space. With his fist under his chin, Halo responded, “I definitely want to go to the moon, but it’s going to take three days to go to the moon.” In a state of confusion, the 44-year-old questioned how Halo was so certain of that fact.

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

In a confident tone, he side-eyed his dad and said, “I’m smart, what you mean? I go to a school.” Still not convinced, the “It’s a Vibe” artist argued, “It seems like it wouldn’t take three days– they’ve got fast rockets.” Positive that he was correct, Halo told his dad again that it took a total of three days.

After a short back and forth, Chainz said thoughtfully, “The thing about you is, I learn stuff from you too,” to which Halo replied, “I get that a lot.”

FDA Announces Ban Of Juul E-Cigarettes From U.S. Market

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Electronic cigarette company Juul will no longer sell its products on store shelves. The United States Food and Drug Administration officially issued “marketing denial orders” to Juul Labs, Inc. this Thursday, meaning that U.S. retailers must remove all current stock and are prohibited from selling Juul products. Rumors of the shutdown were spreading as early as Wednesday.

Dr. Robert M. Califf, Commissioner of the FDA, said in a statement: “Today’s action is further progress on the FDA’s commitment to ensuring that all e-cigarette and electronic nicotine delivery system products currently being marketed to consumers meet our public health standards. The agency has dedicated significant resources to review products from the companies that account for most of the U.S. market. We recognize these make up a significant part of the available products and many have played a disproportionate role in the rise in youth vaping.”

“The FDA is tasked with ensuring that tobacco products sold in this country meet the standard set by the law, but the responsibility to demonstrate that a product meets those standards ultimately falls on the shoulders of the company,” added acting director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, Michele Mital.

“As with all manufacturers, Juul had the opportunity to provide evidence demonstrating that the marketing of their products meets these standards. However, the company did not provide that evidence and instead left us with significant questions.”


Mark Wilson/Getty Images

This seems like a nail in the coffin after years of public controversies and restrictions placed on the company, which include a $40 million lawsuit for targeting teenagers with their marketing, removing flavored vapes from their online store, and halting advertisements in the U.S.

The FDA has shown how Juul contributed to an uptick in underage vaping after becoming the most popular e-cigarette product in the U.S. in 2017; Juul agreed to a $40 million settlement last year in North Carolina for its marketing practices.

“For years Juul targeted young people, including teens, with highly addictive e-cigarettes,” expressed North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein. “It lit the spark and fanned the flames of a vaping epidemic among our children—one that you can see in any high school in North Carolina.”

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Paul Walker’s Daughter, Meadow, Opens Up About Abortion Experience Amid Roe V. Wade

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In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, countless gut-wrenching stories have come pouring in across social media as people recount how having access to legal abortion helped save their life (or conversely, how restrictions nearly killed them).

The 23-year-old daughter of the late Fast & Furious star Paul Walker, Meadow, used her substantial Instagram platform of 3.7 million followers to share her own experience with abortion at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic a few years ago.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

“Today marks a huge setback in history – a profound injustice to women across the United States,” she penned in her notes app and posted on Friday (June 24). “There are countless women who have struggled with making the decision to have an abortion.”

Walker told readers that she “battled the choice” in 2020, “when the world was collapsing during the pandemic.”

“It is a very private and personal experience – the way it should be,” the model wrote. “I was lucky enough to have a great doctor who supported me through the debilitating process – with their help, I am able to be the happy and healthy person I am today.”

With the Supreme Court’s new ruling, though, millions of Americans will now struggle to find help. “In a world that constantly marginalizes females, this feels like the biggest assault of them all.”

In conclusion, she reminded us, “Banning abortion doesn’t prevent abortions, it prevents safe abortions.”

As TMZ notes, another heartbreaking story about the fight for women’s rights to their bodies this week came from Rita Moreno, who nearly bled to death after becoming pregnant with Marlon Brando’s baby back in the day.

The actor insisted she get an abortion (before it became a Constitutional right in 1973) and tracked down a doctor who did it for $500, though the procedure was incomplete.

Read more about the overturning of Roe v. Wade here, and tap back in with HNHH later for more pop culture news updates.

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