Today In Hip Hop History: Nelly Dropped His Debut Album ‘Country Grammar’ 23 Years Ago

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On this day in Hip Hop history, St. Louis rap icon Nelly released his Grammy debut LP Country Grammar. Released by Universal Records, the unique pop-rap-country sound of this project struck well with consumers and critics alike peaking at #1 on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop charts.

Whether it was intended or not, this album set the bar high for all other summertime albums to come in the new millennium. This mixture of Jason “Jay E” Epperson’s production and Nelly’s Missouri slang proved to be the perfect formula for a high energy album hosting some of the decade’s hottest party tracks.

The sing-along appeal of this project is what brought it so much commercial success. Along with topping the US music charts, this album also made chart appearances in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, France, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK. The album was also certified platinum in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and of course the United States (where it sold 9,000,000 copies).

The album contained hit singles “Country Grammar” (which was nominated for a Grammy), “E.I.,” “Ride Wit Me” and “Batter Up” which all made international music chart appearances. Critics across the board hailed this album as a breakthrough in Hip Hop, never before had a project come from the Midwest with so much appeal to other regions of the country.

Following this album, Nelly grew to be one of the brightest stars of the 2000’s putting out multiple multi-platinum albums and winning a plethora of awards for his musical ability. He has also since had a successful career on-screen both in films and on television.

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Blueface to Plead Guilty in Connection to Shooting Outside Las Vegas Strip Club

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Blueface is set to plead guilty concerning a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club in October. The rapper, born Jonathan Jamall Porter, appeared in court on Monday and pleaded guilty to one felony count of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Blueface will also plead guilty to one misdemeanor battery charge. The official plea will go in on July 3. The Nevada prosecutor Nick Portz stated he was open to probation. The other charges will be dropped.

In a video obtained by TMZ, Blueface is seen shooting at a truck driver on Oct. 8, which led to his arrest. In the video, Blueface stands outside a Las Vegas club when a truck pulls up on him and his crew. The truck speeds off, with Blueface firing as it moves.

People at the club state that before the shooting, the truck driver was in the club and was attacked by Blueface’s crew. He pulled up on the crew after and asked, “Who hit me?!” leading to the gunshots.

In another video, Blueface was tackled and arrested outside Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles in Las Vegas.

The arresting officers were in unmarked cars and plain clothes. Between six and eight officers arrested the rapper, piling on top of him as a crowd, including his girlfriend Chrisean Rock, looked on.

The officers stated they were executing an open warrant for Blueface’s arrest. He was arrested for attempted murder using a deadly firearm or tear gas.

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HBO’s ‘The Idol’ Season Set to End An Episode Early

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HBO is ending The Idol one episode quicker than anticipated. According to TV Line, episode five of the series will be the “season finale.” The show had an original order for six.

A source revealed the takeover of the show by Sam Levinson resulted in significant changes. “The story only ended up requiring 5,” the source said.

The Idol stars Lily-Rose Depp as a pop star who is influenced by a club promoter, portrayed by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye.

Rumors have discussed the show’s fate, with many believing the series is canceled. HBO combatted the belief by stating a second season has yet to be determined.

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Travis Scott’s ‘Utopia’ Album Release Date Might’ve Been Revealed Thanks To A Few Billboard Ads In Los Angeles

Following years of building up anticipation, Travis Scott’s forthcoming album, Utopia, finally received an official release date. Thanks to a few high-flying advertisements displayed throughout Los Angeles, California, we now know to expect either the project or a single from the project to hit streaming platforms on July 21. Incidentally, that’s the day before his Rolling Loud Miami performance.

Both billboards point out the same string of numbers. The first display, which features stone figures, takes the shape of an analog clock point at the seven o’clock hour and just after the 20-minute mark, with the line, “Is it in the Chateau?”

The second graphic is much more straightforward, as a lock shows the numeric sequence, each number is locked in, but the space indicating the month is stuck between 7 and 8. So, fans believe it’s the rapper’s way of saying something big will happen in July and August. To theorize briefly, the album could drop in July, with a tour announcement dropping the following month — or a single release in July with the entire project to follow.

During an interview with PinUp Magazine, the entertainer spoke about the meaning behind the project’s title. “Utopia is something that people feel is so far-fetched and out of reach, some perfect state of mind. But you create it yourself. There are people who achieve utopia every day. They may not be the richest people with the dopest cribs, but it’s a utopia wherever they are, and that’s the most you can have,” said Scott.

He added, “With every album, I live in these worlds in my mind — I’m trying to show people experiences where utopian things can exist, and you can enjoy yourself and have a good time. They can create energy that spews out magical things — new cures, new buildings, new avenues for people to move forward. People need to see that utopia is real.”

Lil Uzi Vert And JT’s BET Awards Fight Was Apparently Not Over Ice Spice After All, As Some Had Claimed

During the BET Awards over the weekend, Lil Uzi Vert and his girlfriend, JT of City Girls, got into a fight. However, although it had originally been speculated that their argument started over Ice Spice, TMZ and members of JT’s team are denying that she played a role.

Fans and viewers had first believed it, given Uzi rapped “I got a nice wife, wig came off twice / She got a little afro, she looks like Ice Spice” during his performance at the awards show.

One Twitter user also made a thread about JT and Uzi at the show, claiming she got mad after he was talking to Ice. “I overheard him cussing at her too so they both be just saying outlandish sh*t it seems like but after about 20 min. She just starts ignoring his pleading and gets up and acts like she paying attention to the performances… he tried to touch her and she almost clocked him!” they wrote.

JT had also thrown her phone at him during the event, as other attendees shot videos of the tension.

In reality, there is reportedly no drama between JT and Ice — or even JT and Lil Uzi Vert. She simply had gotten upset over losing her seat during the audience moving around, according to her team, and the couple left together as normal.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Young Thug, Nicki Minaj, And Juice WRLD Are A Lucrative Combo On ‘Money’ From The ‘Business Is Business’ Deluxe

Just days after releasing the Young Thug album Business Is Business, the project’s producer Metro Boomin shared a deluxe edition reissue, subtitled “Metro’s Version.” Here, the tracklist is rearranged and two new songs have been added — “Sake Of My Kids” and “Money” featuring Juice WRLD and Nicki Minaj. The latter track turns out to be especially poignant, as it reunites the incarcerated Thug with the late Juice WRLD, giving fans a glimpse of what that joint album they were supposedly working on in 2019 would have sounded like.

It also reconnects Nicki and Juice after he joined her European tour in 2018. Unfortunately, they were never able to collaborate with each other, but she paid tribute to him with her Billboard Women In Music Game Changer Award acceptance speech, calling him a “kindred spirit.” Of course, Nicki and Thug had previously teamed up on a remix of one of Thug’s early hits, “Danny Glover,” as well as on Elton John’s 2021 Lockdown Sessions cut, “Always Love You.”

Meanwhile, Metro Boomin has been on a stellar run himself, dropping the awesome Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse soundtrack just about six months after releasing the well-received Heroes & Villains.

You can listen to “Money” above and check out Metro’s Version of Business Is Business here.

Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lupe Fiasco Hilariously Comments On Drake’s Lyrics

Lupe Fiasco is an artist who is known for being a truly incredible lyricist. Throughout his career, he has provided fans with some truly incredible albums. Moreover, he is someone who is always pushing the envelope and providing fans with new music. We have gotten a couple of singles from Lupe here and there over the last few months, and they have all been great. That said, despite all of his success, there are still times when Lupe has been made to feel “regular.” As it turns out, Drake may be one of the reasons for this.

We know this thanks to a meme that was posted on Twitter recently. In the video clip below, you can see how the meme makes fun of Drake and how his lyrics will have ordinary folks feeling like losers. From sleeping at the Sheraton to wearing New Balance and Levis, Drake has taken aim at a lot of elements of modern living. Overall, it is easy for Drake to do this as he has a whole lot of money. Although, sometimes, it comes at the expense of his fans’ egos. As Lupe Fiasco explains, Drake has made him question his own self.

Read More: Lupe Fiasco Shares A Snippet Of New Music With Fans On Twitter

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“He makes me feel guilty for shit I didn’t even do and question the legitimacy of my ACTUAL responsibilities,” Lupe Fiasco tweeted. Although Lupe is one of the best artists to ever do it, Drake still has him questioning life and wealth. Of course, the artist is mostly joking here. However, he does have a point. Now, some people can’t look at New Balances the same way, which is truly tragic.

Having said all of this, hopefully, we get some more new music from Lupe Fiasco, very soon. He is a prominent voice in the culture, and fans want to hear from him soon. Let us know your expectations for new Lupe music, in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world.

Read More: Lupe Fiasco Net Worth 2023: What Is The Rapper Worth?

The post Lupe Fiasco Hilariously Comments On Drake’s Lyrics appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Lawsuit Over Young Thug’s Canceled Concert Dismissed In New York

The lawsuit regarding Young Thug’s canceled performance at the New York Fairgrounds in 2021 has been dismissed. Promoters of the event filed the lawsuit claiming that the State of New York failed to properly promote and sell tickets to the event, thus causing its cancelation. They alleged “racial animus” towards the relevant parties.

The New York Law Journal explained the lawsuit: “Defendants’ failure to fulfill their contractual obligations was allegedly grounded on racial animus toward plaintiffs, to the race of Young Thug, to the concert, and to the perceived race of the anticipated concertgoers.” U.S. District Judge Brenda Sannes of the Northern District of New York granted the State of New York’s request to dismiss the case. They successfully argued that the state, as an entity, counts as a corporation and not a person.

Read More: Young Thug Sued By Promoter For $150K Over Canceled Show: Report

Young Thug At The BET Hip-Hop Awards

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 01: Young Thug attends the 2021 B.E.T. Hip Hop Awards at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on October 01, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/2021 BET Hip Hop Awards/Getty Images for BET)

The New York show isn’t the only Young Thug concert that resulted in a lawsuit. Concert promoter, A-1 Concert Entertainment, sued the rapper for missing a show in Atlanta, GA, in August 2022. They claim that Thug hasn’t sent them back their $150,000 advance. He was unable to attend after his arrest in the YSL RICO case.

“Due to his arrest and the nature of the felony criminal charges against Williams, it was immediately apparent in May 2022 that he would not be able to perform as required in the agreement,” the filing said, as noted by HipHopDX. “To date, A-1 Concert has not received any reimbursement of the $150,000 owed to it.”

As for Thug’s ongoing trial, his lawyer recently filed to have the judge dismiss the case due to the statute of limitations. Whether that move will yield any positive results remains unclear. The tactic comes after Thug dropped his third studio album Business is Business.

Read More: Young Thug Releases New Album “Business Is Business”

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