Month: June 2022

We’re nearly into July, and it’s safe to say that it’s been an excellent year for hip-hop so far. We’ve certainly received some solid albums so far but it’s safe to say that Pusha T and Kendrick Lamar’s respective bodies of work have reached the levels of expectations that fans drummed up over the past four years. While Push is unequivocally declaring It’s Almost Dry as the Rap Album Of The Year, Kendrick Lamar is certainly giving him a run for his money with the release ofMr. Morale & The Big Steppers.

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During our recent conversation with Push, the G.O.O.D Music president shared his thoughts on Kendrick Lamar’s latest project, describing it as a “conversation piece” and applauding Kendrick’s lyricism across the double-disc project. 

“I think he made a strong album. I think his album is definitely a conversation piece, for sure. I think that Kendrick does what he does lyrically,” he explained. “I think it was impressive, for sure. I think it’s great competition. It’s a matter of what you want to hear. I feel like for what it is that I do and what I was going for, and like I said, this is rap album of the year to me. It’s Almost Dry. That is the mood and that is the energy. I think I put out that type of energy.”

The two rappers released their respective projects within weeks of each other. And while that wasn’t something that was strategically planned on either end, the celebration of both is evidently reflected across streaming service numbers. When asked why he thinks both albums were so important for 2022, his answer was simple: “Because we are the best rappers.”

“I’m just talking about in a sense of being like really good rappers [laughs], fundamentally good rappers. You know that from those two artists you are getting the truth. That’s it. People know that they are getting quality. You know that you are getting taste. You know that you are getting well-thought-out compositions,” he said. I haven’t heard anybody say that they hated my album or his album. I feel like you’re gonna like both, for sure. But it’s just a matter of what you are feeling and what mood you prefer to be in.”

Check out our full interview with Pusha T here. 

Some wild news has been coming out of the NBA today, especially as it pertains to Kyrie Irving. Kyrie and the Brooklyn Nets are in the midst of contract negotiations, and it seems like neither side can agree on the best course of action. Kyrie believes he is worthy of a long-term deal, while the Nets think otherwise. Kyrie has had severe attendance issues and in the eyes of the Nets, a long-term deal is not deserved, especially given what went down last season. 

Now, a new report suggests that Kyrie is already prepared for the worst-case scenario. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Irving has an extensive wishlist of teams he would go to should he be traded. Those teams are the Lakers, Clippers, Mavericks, 76ers, Heat, and Knicks.

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According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, this news has caught the attention of Kevin Durant, who is the leader of the Nets. Essentially, Durant is officially weighing his options and he is preparing for the doomsday scenario of Kyrie leaving. If this were to be the case, then the Nets could very well lose both of their superstars in the span of one offseason. This would then leave them with Ben Simmons, which would be a complete and utter disaster.

This remains a developing story, so stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest news and updates from around the NBA world.

The Golden State Warriors are still in the middle of celebrating their forth NBA championship in eight years after they beat the Boston Celtics last week. But despite the historic success they achieved this past season, head coach Steve Kerr says they won’t be letting their foot off the gas anytime soon.

“Yeah, my experience is when you win a championship you get better the next year,” Kerr said. Kerr is no stranger to repeated championships as both a player and a coach. From 1996-1999, Kerr won four straight NBA titles as a member of the Chicago Bulls and as a San Antonio Spur. 

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However, Kerr said that the third title in the row is the true toughest challenge.“If you keep going after that, it starts to wear you out,” Kerr said. “That third year for us, trying to get a three-peat in ’19 was brutally difficult. But whether I was a player or now as a coach, you win that first one, there’s a freedom that comes with it. There’s an excitement, and that carries over into the second year.”

Kerr has won all four championships with the Warriors with the same core trio of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. The only two seasons Kerr didn’t have his trio fully healthy, in 2019 and 2020, were the only two seasons the Warriors failed to reach the Finals during the past eight seasons.

If Kerr can keep his stars healthy, there’s no telling how much higher the Warriors can fly.

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Ceaser Emanuel is a man best known for his Black Ink television series on VH1. He has a very famous tattoo shop in New York City which just so happened to be the subject of his series. Unfortunately, Emanuel has been through numerous controversies over the years, and in 2021, he even had to deal with social media scrutiny following a dispute with his daughter. Needless to say, Emanuel has a thing for making headlines for all of the wrong reasons.

In fact, Emanuel has found himself at the center of yet another controversy, this time involving animal abuse. In a Ring security camera video, Emanuel could be seen abusing a dog, which horrified fans on social media. It also got the attention of Black Ink employee Donna Lombardi, who offered a scathing rant about Emanuel on her Instagram account.

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A post shared by Donna Marie Lombardi ❤️👑💁🏼🌸🦄 (@donnadadondada)

Per Lombardi:

“If you can treat a dog like this, it shows how sick of a person you truly are. I don’t even get into the life of this man, but this video made me so upset. Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE animals. Especially dogs.

“Even after he beat his daughter up, @vh1 @viacom_intl & the new @blackinkcrew producers tried to protect Ceaser, even made up fake conflicting storylines about my relationship to do it! Now this, cannot be undone. I pray the people see you, @ceaserblackink , as the monster you are. Your karma has been adding up for years, but to do this to two innocent dogs!?! This is crazy. CHARGES NEED TO BE PRESSED, and CANCELLATIONS NEED TO BE MADE!”

Since the news broke, VH1 has decided to cut ties with Emanuel. In a statement posted to social media, the network said that they had wrapped up filming the next season, which means nothing will be affected production-wise. Moving forward, however, Emanuel won’t be working with VH1 anytime soon.

“We have made the decision to cut ties with Ceaser Emanuel from Black Ink Crew New York,” VH1 wrote. “Since next season was close to finishing production, this decision will not impact the upcoming season.”

This is a developing story, so stay tuned to HNHH for updates.