In a recent Instagram post from prison, Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty compared himself to Jay-Z. He claimed he was bigger than the New York rapper and entrepreneur before he got locked up. The 22-year-old Memphis native, Lontrell “Pooh Shiesty” Williams said he was better than Grammy-winning billionaire rapper, Jay-Z. Jay-Z “Can’t Relate”? He also said […]
The post Pooh Shiesty Says “Jay-Z Can’t Relate” In Message From Prison appeared first on SOHH.com.
It isn’t easy performing in front of a packed audience, but Ariana DeBose did just that for a room full of her peers. The Academy Award-winning actress, dancer, and singer recently took to the BAFTA stage to open the awards ceremony. The Westside Story star joined several backup dancers and delivered a rap about the nominees and blockbuster films. However, the performance was said to have fallen flat as the BAFTA audience looked on in silence.
It didn’t take long for DeBose to receive the meme treatment. People also stormed the internet to call the display “cringe,” and many questioned why it was approved. “Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my ‘Woman King,’” DeBose rapped. “Blanchett Cate you’re a genius, Jamie Lee you are all of us.” As online commentary grew, the actress was further defended by production.
Sisters are doing it for themselves! The incredible @ArianaDeBose opens the 2023 #EEBAFTAs with an iconic performance!
pic.twitter.com/G9YgKN2e1t
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 19, 2023
BAFTAs awards producer Nick Bullen told Variety that criticisms were “unfair.” He also claimed DeBose worked closely with her team to create and choreograph her piece. After a day or two of finding her mentions flooded with critics, trolls, and cruelty, DeBose reportedly deleted her Twitter account. Her fans were disappointed at how she was treated by the public.
“We wanted to open the show with some energy, some fun,” Bullen also shared. “And also lay out straight away that this was hopefully going to feel like a different night, but with a familiarity as well, and what Ariana did was exactly that. I think a lot of people don’t like change, and there’s a view that the BAFTAs have to be this slightly stiff, traditional British, middle-England messaging. But American awards shows have much more razzmatazz, much more showbiz, and perhaps a broader range of people being involved. We felt we’re not about revolution, we’re about evolution.”
Additionally, after Evan Ross Katz shared several memes of DeBose, she appeared in his comment section. It looks like she’s also aware of the overwhelming “Angela Bassett did a thing” memes that have popped up on the internet. To them, she said, “Honestly I love this.” Check it out above.
[via]
Belly says that he intends to retire after the release of his next three albums. The Canadian rapper explained his decision in a post on Twitter, last week. In it, he admits that the “industry has taken its toll” on him. Belly has released three studio albums during his career, but he’s found the most mainstream success through his songwriting. He’s co-written hits for The Weeknd, Beyoncé, and more. Among the songs he’s credited with is the 2019 single “Blinding Lights“, which eventually became the Billboard #1 Greatest Hot 100 Hit of All Time in 2021. Belly was named the Songwriter of the Year at the 2016 SOCAN Awards for his “significant and outstanding contributions to popular music over the past year.”
“I love yall with all my heart, sincerely, but this industry has taken it’s [sic] toll on me,” Belly wrote on Twitter on February 17. “MR2 will be the first of my last three albums ever. Mini tour for MR2 then a farewell tour after my next 2.” Belly didn’t provide any more information about the upcoming three albums nor did he reveal any tour information regarding when fans will be able to catch him for the last time.
“You have been an inspiration for all of us back home in Ottawa,” one account replied. “Hope we get to see you perform one last time. Can’t wait for the albums.” Another added: “Thank you for your incredible contributions to our very species. The common being may be oblivious to how far reaching your talents and creations have been but needless to say the best of you will echo in eternity. You are appreciated, Legend.” “We will be always grateful for the amazing music you gave us Belly!” one more fan wrote back.
Belly came onto the music scene in 2005 with the release of his debut mixtape, Death Before Dishonor: Vol. 1. He eventually signed with The Weeknd’s XO label back in 2015. In total, he’s released three studio albums, 11 mixtapes, and 24 singles. He’s also received writing credits on countless songs from The Weeknd including “Often,” “The Hills,” “Shameless,” “Earned It,” “Party Monster,” “False Alarm,” “Save Your Tears,” and more.
[Via]
Earlier this month, Logic dropped the track list for his upcoming eighth studio album College Park. The album will include features from stars like Joey Bada$$, RZA, Redman, and more, Additionally, three of the songs will include guest verses from a rapper named C Dot Castro. For most of his die-hard fans, C Dot is a well-known fixture in Logic’s music. Dating back to “Disgusting” in 2012 and “Ballin” in 2013, C Dot has been alongside Logic for his entire career. So, it was no surprise to see him and the Maryland MC reunite for College Park.
Ahead of the project, the 33-year-old put out the LP’s fourth promotional single with C Dot Castro titled “Lightsabers.” “Lightsabers” follows up a slew of excellent pre-released tracks like “Wake Up,” “High Life” and “Paradise II.” Additionally, “Lightsabers” will likely be the final single Logic puts out before releasing the full album. College Park is slated to release later in the week on Friday (Feb. 24)
“Lightsabers” is produced by not only Logic, but his career-long right-hand man 6ix. 6ix has practically executively produced all of his collaborator’s studio albums. So, it comes as no surprise that he offers an excellent, two-part instrumental on “Lightsabers.” The first portion of the track consists of solely Logic, rapping about the ups and downs of every day life. Over the synthy, bass-infused trap beat, his up-tempo flow is captivating.
After a drawn-out beat switch, Logic is met with a new piano-infused instrumental. However, not much changes in terms of approach for the veteran rhymer. Utilizing his slick-tongued bars, his final verse on the song transitions into an elite display from C Dot Castro. Finishing the song, Castro spits about his determination for a better life and the trials and tribulations he has fought through. Yet again, this storied duo has provided their fans with another excellent display of songwriting and execution. Stream Logic & C Dot Castro’s “Lightsabers” single on Spotify or Apple Music below. Additionally, tune into Logic’s new album College Park this Friday, February 24.
Quotable Lyrics:
Me and my neighbors, we shinin’ like lightsabers
Ain’t handin’ out no favors, we lucky to be alive
Smoke somethin’ to this and vibe
I hope you don’t give up your dreams for a nine-to-five
Celebrity relationships run deep in, with some of the unlikeliest of stars being seen together from time to time. Many may not be aware of the friendship between singers Chris Brown and Jamie Foxx, but the two have been chummy since meeting when Breezy was 15. Foxx shared the story during a visit to The Joe Rogan Experience podcast five years back. Today, Chris chose to upload a hilarious, animated version to his Instagram page.
According to the 2005 tale, Jamie was throwing a party in Miami when he noticed some kids dancing in the general area. Not wanting to be one-upped at his own event, the veteran entertainer proceeded to head Brown’s way. “Everybody’s following me, I’m about to go battle whoever this kid is,” Foxx recalls to Joe. At this point, the “You Changed Me” artists prepare themselves for the showdown, with Jamie pulling a particularly awkward pop-lock move.
”Listen to me. We’re all jammed together, right? He doesn’t do a move, you know what he does? He does a backflip,” he remembers. “But the way that he did the backflip—and he’s 6’2–he’s standing in the middle of the crowd. He jumped over the crowd, did the backflip up here, and came straight down.” He then said “‘What’s up?’ I said motherf**ker I’ma leave you the f**k alone… That’s some Avenger s*t.” If the story wasn’t comical enough, PaulyToon’s animated reimagination brought some to tears, including Jamie Foxx. Underneath Chris Brown’s post, Jamie jokingly writes ”And it was just like that! And I never danced again,” with laughing emojis.
Lately, Chris Brown has taken to IG for some laughs amidst some serious allegations. After being accused of denying Black women into his section at a club, Brown responded with a clip of President Joe Biden. The clearly edited video was posted to his Story, with a voiceover stating the colorism rumors are simply untrue. Shortly after, the women accusing the entertainer retracted their statements, citing it was no one’s fault but the venue’s. “The only reason why his name was mentioned was because we were going to a club where he was hosting at,” one wrote.
[Via]
LL Cool J just graced the stage at the Grammys, holding down hosting duties during the Hip-Hop 50 tribute set. The concert brought forth the OGs and pioneers with the new generation of artists to emerge. Who would’ve thought they’d ever see Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King and Lil Uzi Vert on the same stage? Ultimately, it showcased the power of hip-hop 50 years after its inception as a block party in the Bronx. Coming off of the momentum of the performance, LL Cool J began ramping up the efforts for his next studio album.
The comeback album has been in the works for a few years with Q-Tip at the helm of production. The two began working on the project in 2020 but following the Grammys, LL Cool J provided a promising update. “I know all the tricks. I got this covered,” he said during an interview on the Grammys red carpet. “Look, it was executive produced by Q-Tip. The album I think is really, really special. I think it’s something it’s modern without chasing. It’s a whole new thing. I can’t wait for the people to see it.”
This morning, LL Cool J startled fans when he announced that the project wouldn’t drop. He shared three tweets where he stated that he won’t release the project. “Just not feeling like this album is worthy of being released [face palm emoji] I tried… Not dropping it,” he wrote after claiming that he’s working relentlessly to put the album out. It seemed odd, especially with Q-Tip’s involvement, that the project wasn’t to his liking.
Ultimately, he deleted the tweets and it seems that he was either trolling or Q-Tip convinced him to backtrack. LL hit the ‘Gram with another video where he explained the reason why he didn’t want to drop the project. “I was considering not putting the record out because… IT’S TOO FUCKIN’ GOOD,” he said with a laugh. “Q-Tip, you a genius, baby!” He added that it’s his favorite album that he’s ever made before confirming that he’ll be dropping a release date and tracklist soon. Who do you think will land on the project? Sound off in the comments.
In honor of Black History Month, stylist Zerina Akers collaborated with Barbie to create a series of looks for the doll’s Instagram. Akers, who has styled Latto, Neicy Nash, and Chloe x Halle, garnered recognition as Beyoncé‘s personal stylist. In addition, the highly sought-after trendsetter received an Emmy for her costume designs in Black Is King. Now, Akers is bringing her stylish twist to Barbie’s wardrobe. According to The Root, the Akers-Barbie collaboration project presents Barbie as a Black culture icon while celebrating diversity in representation.
When discussing her inspiration for the project with the outlet, Akers commented, “partnering with Barbie and getting to dress yet another icon is such a full circle moment for me—Barbie and Mattel were such a huge part of my childhood and are so nostalgic for me. I’m so excited to reimagine Barbie’s style and help inspire the next generation of fashionistas to dream big!” The costume designer also revealed how when she was a kid, she would find ways to dress up her Barbies to her own tastes. “Whether I was making clothes for my Barbie dolls or styling their hair, I was able to practice different ways to explore creatively as it related to image, appearance, and lifestyle,” Akers mentioned.
The 36-year-old fashionista added how important representation was when she was in her doll-playing phase. “For me, Barbie was one of my earliest forms of representation. My aunt would buy me the prettiest Black Barbie dolls to play with,” she told the outlet. “It was very important for us to see ourselves in the toys we played with and for our dolls to have multicultural ‘friends.’” Back in 2020, Akers founded the online marketplace Black Owned Everything. The organization initially started as an Instagram account, but has since grown into a “movement.” Black Owned Everything’s goal is to bridge Black business and the community through “meaningful and long-lasting participation.” The website describes, “it is not ephemeral, trend-based, or short-lived.”
The Akers-Barbie collaboration drops today (February 22nd) on Barbie’s global Instagram account, @BarbieStyle. The series will be posted as editorial-style photoshoots, all showcasing the best looks from Akers’s collection. For news related to pop culture and hip-hop, be sure to check out HNHH.
A detective involved in the investigation into the murder of XXXTentacion has taken the stand in the trial of those accused of killing the South Florida rapper. He says that suspect Dedrick Williams changed his story several times. He also confirmed that the suspect never mentioned Drake, Migos, or any other rap groups as having hired him. The defense previously suggested that Drake may have been involved in the killing.
On the stand, the detective explained that Williams changed his story for a third time after being told that the property had security cameras. In addition to Williams, Michael Boatwright and Trayvon Newsome have also been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery regarding X’s death. The group faces up to life in prison if convicted.
As for Drake’s involvement, the defense cited a tweet from XXXTentacion prior to his death during their opening statements. “Before X died, he said, ‘If anybody kills me, it’s Drake.’ Do you think sitting here years later, any detective has ever asked Drake or anybody like that? No,” attorney Mauricio Padilla said according to Complex. “This is one of the biggest celebrities in the world. Excluding an order from this court, we all know that I will never be able to take his deposition.”
They ended up getting their wish and Drake has a deposition scheduled for February 24. “If deponent Aubrey Drake Graham does not appear to deposition he must appear before this court on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 at 10 a.m. EST at so [sic] the court can determine why he should not be held in contempt,” the motion reads. Outside of the out of context tweet from X, there’s no other evidence of Drake being involved in his killing.
Fans mostly responded to the detective’s testimony with doubt about Drake’s involvement. “They want tickets to Drake’s concerts so badly,” one wrote on a post from DJ Akademiks. Another added: “They want drake so damn bad. It should be illegal to try and drag a random man into court for a MURDER case and potentially ruin his career or life. It’s so weird.”
[Via]
Da Brat is having a baby! The exciting news spread across social media as the rapper and Jesseca Dupart, confirmed that they were expecting a baby. Unfortunately, the otherwise great news transformed into a messy social media situation involving Da Brat and her sister, LisaRaye McCoy. An old interview clip with LisaRaye McCoy emerged on timelines today where she stated that she only found out about her sister’s pregnancy via social media.
Over the years, Da Brat and LisaRaye haven’t necessarily seen eye-to-eye. So the snippet of information surrounding LisaRaye’s alleged unawareness of her sister’s pregnancy created more of an issue online. However, it wasn’t true and the timing of the video being shared came as LisaRaye mourns the loss of her mother. Dupart addressed the claims in the comment section of TheShadeRoom, where she said the TMZ story that was circulating was from a year prior.
Raquel Harper explained that she didn’t have a role in the circulation of the recently resurfaced video. “The interview I did with [LisaRaye] is from months ago, not today,” Harper wrote on her Instagram Story. “I only posted because I thought it was from a story today and that my interview was just getting brought back up from something currently.” She explained in a subsequent post that many of her old interviews resurface regularly. “If I am tagged I just post period,” she wrote before denying that she was the person who posted it in the first place. “Once again, I am not the person who posted the story,” she continued. “I was minding my business and seen my name getting tagged so I reposted.”
Still, Dupart wasn’t having it. She slammed Harper for trying to stir the pot. “MORE LIKE A YEAR AGO, last FEBRUARY, she knew exactly what she was doing but she WRECKLESSLY hopped on a trending topic – while Lisa Raye is planning funeral arrangements for her mother …… 100% distasteful,” Dupart wrote. However, Harper said Dupart as lying. “I talk to [LisaRaye] while it was happening asked her what was going on so know what your talking about.”
Jalen Rose was famous for his NBA career, although there is no doubt that he was famous in college as well. Rose was part of the “Fab 5” over at Michigan. Overall, they were an amazing basketball team that is still heralded to this day. As a direct result of his time in college, Rose is quite fond of college hopes. Consequently, he gets to sound off on the college game while covering basketball for ESPN. In just a month from now, he will get to give his takes on March Madness. For now, however, he is giving his opinion on a young hooper set to take the college world by storm, next season.
Of course, we are talking about none other than Bronny James Jr. Bronny just finished up his final season at Sierra Canyon. Subsequently, he will have to decide where he is going to go to school. There are plenty of schools that want him, including Ohio State, USC, and even Oregon. Moreover, he is being given NBA cache as ESPN just put him in the Top 10 of their 2024 NBA mock draft.
In the clip above from This Just In with Max Kellerman, Jalen Rose was able to speak on Bronny getting this look. Overall, he thinks it is great to see Bronny get recognized. Furthermore, he went into recruiter mode. As you can see, Rose wants James to go to Michigan. However, he understands that probably won’t happen. Instead, Rose would like for Bronny to go to Ohio State so he can go do what his dad was never able to do. It would be a great spot for Bronny, and we’re sure all of the Buckeyes fans out there would agree.
Moving forward, Bronny has very big decisions to make. No matter what, his future does seem set in stone as LeBron wants to play with him. This will entice teams to take him in the draft. Regardless, he has proven to be a very solid player, and we can’t wait to see what else he does on the floor. Stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the basketball world.
[Via]
(@zerinaakers)