The underground scene is a side of hip-hop that you can almost always count on to deliver some of the best records year in and year out. Brother Ali, a Madison, Wisconsin native, is just one solider in an army of some of the most unheralded lyricists the game has ever seen. On his new album Love & Service, Brother Ali is showing why he deserves that title and more recognition. Joining him one of the best records of the year so far is California producer unJUST.
Over the last few weeks or so, Ali had been dropping several singles ahead of his 12th project. In fact, all of this comes after a two-year hiatus of zero loosies or projects. He began the rollout back in February with “Ottomans” and would then go on to drop four more after that. Brother Ali went and grabbed a few features for the record as well, including Roc Marciano, Aesop Rock, Casual, Quelle Chris, and Rakaya Esime Fetuga.
Across this 13-song tracklist, the longtime rapper discusses various topics that are always a welcome sight to hear instead of the traditional trap and pop rap talk. For example, on “The Collapse” (one of the singles), he raps about how most of society chooses to dance through and ignore the crumbling world around us on a daily basis. Furthermore, he explores other ideas such as God, death, and more. UnJUST also deserves a huge shoutout for the instrumentals. He was able to do some creative things in terms of the sampling and sonics overall. We highly recommend this project so be sure to check out Brother Ali’s latest work above.
What are your thoughts on this brand-new album Love & Service by Brother Ali and unJUST? Is this one of his better projects, why or why not? Which song is the best and why? Who had the strongest feature appearance on the record? What is unJUST’s best beat here? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Brother Ali and unJUST. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on around the music world.
Aubrey O’Day has been in the news quite a bit as of late. Overall, a lot of this has to do with her proximity to Diddy back in the day. Her girl group Danity Kane was signed to Diddy, and she got to see the way he operates. Her opinion of Diddy is mostly negative, and she has been very adamant about the allegations against him. As for O’Day’s current career, she is mostly known as a social media and reality star personality. She has been known for some wild moments, and some even wilder comments online.
Well, now, it appears as though she is bringing her talents to Natalie Nunn’s “Baddies” franchise. The franchise is headed off to the Caribbean, after giving us both American East and West iterations. In a new teaser for an episode that is dropping on May 5th, you can see that O’Day and Nunn got to square off. Overall, the clip portrays the two in some sort of circle, with all sorts of onlookers. Subsequently, O’Day begins to roast Nunn, and everyone seems to be amused by it. From there, Nunn stands up to O’Day and the two begin throwing hands.
The video cuts off fairly quickly, and it makes it seem as though it was simply a playfight. However, this does prove to be a clever way to go about promoting the new show. Hopefully, Nunn gets her desired effects here. She has been killing it with the Zeus network, and there is no doubt that the network is appreciative of all that she has done. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see what else she is able to concoct.
Let us know what you think of Aubrey O’Day taking her talents to “Baddies Caribbean,” in the comments section down below. Do you believe that this is a good move for her? Or is this a huge misstep? Have you been enjoying the “Baddies” franchise? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on your favorite artists and all of their upcoming projects.
Actress, comedian, and TV personality Amanda Seales joined Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay for an extensive three-hour discussion. During the conversation, Seales delved into quite a bit of detail about her life and career thus far. There were more than a couple of bombshells revealed during the discussion that have since gone viral. In true Amanda fashion, there were also important conversations about racism, bias, and mental health. In fact, social media has been pretty united in claiming that perhaps Sharpe was not the best interviewer for someone like Seales. Nonetheless, here are some of the biggest takeaways from Amanda Seales’ appearance on Club Shay Shay.
During her time on Club Shay Shay, Amanda Seales addressed her rumored conflict with Issa Rae. Despite speculation that their issues originated during their time on Insecure, Seales clarified that it was Rae’s publicist who initially had an issue with her. However, Seales believes this snowballed into Rae failing to protect her. Reflecting on their rumored conflict during the series’ production, she said, “So, I’ve never talked about this publicly because it has always been incredibly important to me to protect Issa. Because I know that Issa is doing something within this business that so few people get to do. And it’s not something I desire to do… She wasn’t empowering to me. She didn’t feel like I deserved to be protected. But that was my experience. And nonetheless, I have still always protected her because I felt like it was my responsibility to do so. But it is not.”
Her Autism Diagnosis
In the three-hour interview with the retired athlete-turned-podcaster, Amanda Seales disclosed that she is on the autism spectrum. She described her current state as one of evolution, acknowledging that she has been receiving a mix of new information and criticism simultaneously. She stated: “I was recently diagnosed as someone who has autism spectrum disorder which is very difficult to identify in Black women because of racism. What it typically means is that your brain functions in a different way, so you’re neurodivergent. When you take the test, you’re like ‘Hold up! I’ve been thinking my whole life that this was a problem.’ The fact that I have to be doing things all of the time to be stimulated. It’s literally called stimming. These are small things that are indicative of how your brain functions in a very particular way. It’s also atypical to the way our society functions.”
This particular discussion has since garnered criticism. During the show, Sharpe questioned Seales on whether she had received a professional autism diagnosis, to which she responded, “Yes. There is a clinical diagnosis for autism.” This statement, which has been translated to Seales, in fact, not receiving a clinical diagnosis, raised eyebrows. Nonetheless, she took to social media soon after to clarify that she had not been officially diagnosed by a doctor.
Amanda Seales has often been referred to as headstrong and direct. On the podcast, she explained the origins of her confident demeanor, tracing it back to her gymnastics and theater roots. Reflecting on her mindset, Seales revealed that she was heavily influenced by her coach, theater director, and mother, who pushed her rigorously and held high expectations for perfection. She also mentioned developing a strong sense of professionalism from a very young age. Recollecting those times, she stated, “That’s what I come from, people expecting you to be at your best when they’re not looking. That’s how I’ve always operated but you go through life and you realize that’s not how everybody operates.”
Experiencing Racism On Set
Some of the most viral moments from Amanda Seales’ time on Club Shay Shay revolved around the topic of racism. Sometime during their conversation, Seales discussed her experience as a former Disney child star. She recalled incidents where she was called slurs by her white peers on set. As the only Black girl present, Seales considered this behavior to be racist. When Shannon Sharpe questioned her experience by suggesting that kids are not accountable for such behavior due to their age, Seales emphasized that it was indeed a form of racism, regardless of the perpetrators’ age. Frustrated, she said: “So, you have no problem with the children that were cursing out Ruby Bridges? And the Little Rock Nine? Do you think that was just them being kids?”
Seeking Therapy
On Club Shay Shay, Amanda Seales admitted that she struggled to comprehend why some people didn’t like her. She then disclosed that she sought therapy to address this issue, and credited therapy with enhancing her awareness of how others perceive her thoughts. “I started going to therapy because I was like, people kept telling me that no one likes me, and I do not understand it,” she said. “At some point, I thought I wasn’t likable because I had low self-esteem… I present to people in a way that they deem masculine but it’s really just passion and if they really were smart, they would understand that the passion that I speak with is the passion that I f*ck with so I don’t understand why they can’t do that math.”
During the interview, Sharpe brought up the topic of certain Black people who prefer to be in white spaces. Grasping where the conversation was heading, Seales immediately brought up Candace Owens’ name. She spoke about how the Black community has been taught to be forgiving, but really should only forgive those who ask. “It’s not her fault,” she began. “It’s the spaces that let her back in. We can’t just look at Black people and say ‘Is this skin folk or kin folk?’ All of these Black media spaces that took her back in… all these Black media spaces that have just excoriated me for weeks, I look at them and say ‘You are simply Black by name, because you are white by commerce.”
Emmanuel Acho And Angel Reese
Shannon Sharpe also brought up college basketballer Angel Reese and sports analyst Emmanuel Acho. Acho had recently criticized Reese for presenting herself as a villain during her college basketball days but not sticking to that image when confronted with losses. Unhappy with the entire fiasco, Amanda Seales used this opportunity to call out Acho and dish out her own criticism in defense of Reese. “She is a young person,” she said. “Do you know how disgusting that is? And that cornball ass n*gga who loves to make himself look like he’s the white people savior. Emmanuel Acho. ‘Come talk to me, white people. I’m the black guy that’s nice.’ Cut it out. It’s ridiculous.”
Suge Knight says he was disappointed when he learned of the allegations against his long-time rival, Diddy. Speaking with Harvey Levin for TMZ’s new The Downfall of Diddy special on Tubi, the co-founder of Death Row Records explained why he wasn’t celebrating when he learned of the lawsuits Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr., Cassie, and more filed against the Bad Boy mogul.
“My first reaction, it’s not the reaction I thought I would have when it came to Puffy,” Knight said, as noted by Complex. “I thought it’d be a reaction like he got what he got coming because everybody know what’s been going on. My reaction was actually different because I felt like, damn. The first thing that came to my mind was he has his sons, he has his daughters. My reaction was first about the kids. The thing is, I feel it’s a bad day for hip-hop, a bad day for the culture. Because it makes us all look bad.”
Suge Knight Attends Hearing At Criminal Court In L.A.
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 08: Marion ‘Suge’ Knight appears in court with his Lawyer Matthew P Fletcher for a preliminary hearing in a robbery charge case at Criminal Courts Building on April 8, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. Knight is charged with robbery and criminal threats after allegedly stealing a photographer’s camera during an incident on September 5, 2014, in Beverly Hills. (Photo by David Buchan/Getty Images)
When Harvey Levin appeared surprised about Knight’s reaction, he explained he doesn’t enjoy watching his enemies’ downfall. “I’m not the type of guy to cheer for people’s downfall,” he added. “If somebody gets killed or something happens to them, I’m not gonna pop champagne bottles. If I have a problem with Puffy, that’s for him and I to sit down in a room and resolve it. So for the tragedy on both sides, to the victims to him, that’s definitely not nothing to cheer about.” Check out the trailer for TMZ’s The Downfall of Diddy below.
TMZ Investigates Diddy Allegations
Diddy and his legal team have denied any wrongdoing amid the allegations as well as Homeland Security’s raids on his Los Angeles and Miami properties. Diddy has not been charged with any crimes. Be on the lookout for further updates on Suge Knight and Diddy on HotNewHipHop.
The Clippers and the Mavericks seemingly always match up in the playoffs. The teams have faced off in the playoffs 3 out of the past 5 seasons. Playing against each other so much creates a level of familiarity between the teams. That familiarity can also create a touch of animosity. The playoffs are intense, and emotions run high. Additionally, the intensity and emotions are even more heightened when you have been going up against a certain team for so long. In game 3, Russell Westbrook and PJ Washington were ejected after an altercation after Westbrook’s hard foul on Luka Doncic. Washington starred down the Clippers bench, taunting them with his arms crossed. Paul George made sure to remember that for game 3.
Game 4 between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers was a spectacle. The Clippers dominated the first quarter, outscoring the Mavs 39-16. The Mavericks, however, were not to be outdone, gradually closing the gap and turning it into a nail-biting contest in the fourth. This was playoff basketball at its finest. Leading the charge was Paul George, a man on a mission, who lit up the court with five 3-pointers in the first half. After his 5th 3 of the first half, Paul George hit PJ Washington with the same taunt he had given the Clippers bench.
Paul George was on one in game 4. The Clippers dominated the first half, and George went off, hitting five threes. The tough guy act PJ Washington hit the Clippers bench with was obviously something they did not take lightly. Paul George decided to remind Washington while simultaneously lighting up the Mavs on the scoreboard. The series has been very entertaining, and it looks like it could go seven games.
The Mavs and the Clippers are now tied 2-2. Despite the absence of Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers were able to tie the series up. The status of their star is uncertain, but James Harden and Paul George have seriously stepped up. Luka Doncic has not been the same MVP he has been all season this series and will look to get his game back on track. Overall, Clippers Mavericks might be the best first-round series of the playoffs.
In what some may call “jumping the gun” regarding his guilt or innocence, television streaming app Tubi premiered the TMZ Presents: Downfall Of Diddy last night(April 28), a documentary that details the allegations of sexual abuse against the Bad Boy music mogul, the March raid and even his beef with incarcerated nemesis and former Death Row CEO Suge Knight.
Diddy is on the ropes after a series of lawsuits, mainly involving sexual misconduct and even a federal sex trafficking lawsuit. TMZ has the inside story on what was really going down in the rap mogul’s world before and during his legal woes that have seemingly taken the troubled mogul from thriving billionaire to a potentially crumbed empire.
Diddy’s legal troubles began in November of last year when singer and former girlfriend Cassie filed a $30 million lawsuit against Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, accusing him of sexual assault, sex trafficking and coercion, detailing a decade-long pattern of abuse. Just one day after Cassie filed the lawsuit, she settled with Diddy out of court.
As the dust cleared, multiple accusers stepped forward, detailing their own sexual-assault allegations against Diddy in the months following Cassie’s explosive lawsuit. Federal agents got involved on March 25, with Homeland Security Investigations raiding Diddy’s Los Angeles and Miami properties in connection to an alleged sex-trafficking case involving him.
Despite their decades long feud which, according to rumor and reports may have costed several men their lives, former Death Row Records CEo Marion “Suge” Knight said that he would not kick Diddy while he’s down and surprisingly, he actually felt sympathy for the Bad Boy mogul in the new doc TMZ Presents: The Downfall of Diddy.
Suge says his thoughts went to Diddy’s kids and the negative impact the allegations have on hip-hop culture. He also says he’s not the type to revel in people’s downfalls, adding he’d rather end the beef with Diddy through conversation instead of rooting for the world to tear him down.
No one will ever forget when the beef between the two CEOs and their respective camps reached their height at the 1995 Source Awards when Knight said that if you want to be a star and don’t want your executive producer dancing in the videos, “Come to Death Row!”
Karlissa Saffold and Chrisean Rock have never truly seen eye to eye with one another. Overall, their relationship has been strained ever since Chrisean and Blueface got together. Once Chrisean had her child, things got even more complicated. This is mostly due to the fact that Saffold has not been allowed to see her grandson. She has been very adamant about how much that has hurt her, although it seems like Chrisean still isn’t budging on that topic. Now, however, things do seem to be getting a lot more serious, and not in a good way.
In a new Instagram story, Karlissa posted some DMs with an unknown person. She also said, “I’ll have a restraining order by Monday at noon.” This is meant to be directed at Chrisean Rock, although there is no telling if she is being serious with this threat. What we do know is that the tensions between Chrisean and Karlissa have been ongoing for quite some time. Now, Saffold feels threatened by Rock, and is even interested in pressing charges if things continue down this route.
At this point, it does feel as though these two will never see eye to eye. Furthermore, if threats of violence are truly present here, then something needs to happen quickly. Only time will tell whether or not Saffold actually goes through with this aforementioned threat. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail here. You never want to see two sides be in such a heated feud, especially when a child is involved.
Let us know what you think of this feud between Karlissa Saffold and Chrisean Rock, in the comments section down below. Do you believe that these two sides will ever come to a resolution? Or are they destined to be beefing forever at this point? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
The Phoenix Suns have been swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kevin Durant’s Suns were outmatched, outmuscled, and outplayed by the Wolves led by Anthony Edwards. The Suns lost game 4 122-116 on Sunday night, and it is an anticlimactic end to the season for what many called a super team when they were assembled. Kevin Durant scored 33 points, and his teammate Devin Booker poured in 49 in a losing effort. Bradley Beal had a forgettable 9 points and largely struggled to cope with the Wolves defense.
The series against the Wolves has illuminated the Suns’ team dynamics. They boast one of the most gifted scorers in NBA history in Durant. Booker is a great scorer and one of the best 2-guards in the league. Bradley Beal was at least a great scorer before his injury. However, the team lacks a real point guard. Moreover, the Suns seemed to rely on their three stars taking turns trying to score rather than running a cohesive offense. Ultimately, The Wolves showed the flaws in the Suns’ roster and how everyone fits. Evidently, Kevin Durant has always had questions about his role and fit on the team.
Kevin Durant never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offense alongside Devin Booker and Bradley Beal this season, per @ShamsCharania
“Those sources said Durant had persistent issues with the offense, feeling that he was being relegated to the corner far too often and… pic.twitter.com/Q2Wpq4a85D
Reportedly, Kevin Durant has expressed that he has been uncomfortable in his role all season. Durant feels like he was made to spot up in the corner too much as his other teammates handle the action. Additionally, Durant has reportedly expressed that the offense didn’t play to his strengths as the Sun’s game plan was built around pick and rolls. In his post-game presser, Durant denied the report and reinforced that he was always excited to play with Booker and Beal. Ultimately, the Suns are a flawed team with a ton of offensive talent that doesn’t fit together in the best way.
The Suns are headed home, and the Timberwolves are heading to the second round. Additionally, Anthony Edwards is planting his flag as the next big star in the league. Furthermore, the young gun talked trash all the way through the sweep and backed it up with his play. Minnesota’s defense is legitimate, and it gives them a chance against anyone. Their likely opponent in round 2 is the Denver Nuggets, who are up 3-1 on the Lakers. Overall, It might be the must-see matchup of the playoffs.
Lil Nas X and Baby Storme went at it on Twitter, over the weekend, regarding the inspiration for one of Nas’ recent looks. Storme, who previously has claimed to be an ex-best friend of Ice Spice, says Nas copied her “identity” during his Christian era. She also recalled him being “the first major celebrity to discover me.”
“Lil Nas X i’m not even gonna address you,” Baby Storme wrote on Twitter. “Another clown ass barb who tried to steal my identity. he stole my TCIAG look that i INVENTED & then used it to launch his new era, ‘J Christ.’ but he doesn’t walk in light. which is why you can never be me. You used blasphemy to try to boost your sorry ass career. And that’s why your career is finished. This screenshot is straight from his page.”
INDIO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 20: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Lil Nas X performs with Kevin Abstract during the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival – Weekend 2 – Day 2 at Empire Polo Club on April 20, 2024 in Indio, California. (Photo by Timothy Norris/Getty Images for Coachella)
Nas eventually caught wind of the accusations and fired back in a post of his own. “I am flattered that you think my outfit was genuinely inspired by your party city monster high dress. Log off the internet and have your psychotic breakdown without an audience like the rest of us baby girl,” he wrote. From there, Storme admitted she only called out Nas to get attention from his fanbase. “I already knew Lil Nas X would be the one celebrity to respond,” she wrote. “I baited him. And it was easy since he is a barb. Thank you for the free promo, Montero! You really put my career on the map now!!”
Lil Nas X & Baby Storme Trade Shots
I am flattered that you think my outfit was genuinely inspired by your party city monster high dress. Log off the internet and have your psychotic breakdown without an audience like the rest of us baby girl. https://t.co/FqXBwIyur6
Btw, I already knew Lil Nas X would be the one celebrity to respond. I baited him. And it was easy since he is a barb. Thank you for the free promo, Montero! You really put my career on the map now!!
And it was easy since he is a barb. Thank you for the free promo, Montero! You really put my career on the map now!! 