Vice President Kamala Harris kept up her strong momentum today (July 24) as she addressed members of the historically Black sorority Zeta Phi Beta in deep red Indiana. In her speech, she urging the sorority to support her groundbreaking bid for the presidency in the upcoming November election.
“We are not playing around,” VP Harris emphasized in her speech. That part!
The Vice President, delivered her speech three days after she officially announced her candidacy for the White House.
VP Harris went on to say:
“In this moment, I believe we face a choice between two different visions for our nation, one focused on the future, the other focused on the past. And with your support, I am fighting for our nation’s future.” That she is!
You may know Indiana has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in nearly 16 years, but VP Harris, who is of Black and South Asian descent, spoke to a friendly audience already enthusiastic about her candidacy.
Her energetic campaign, flowing with record breaking campaign dollars aims to leverage this enthusiasm to broaden its coalition.
As said in previous speeches, VP Harris expressed gratitude to the women in the room for their efforts in electing her as vice president alongside Joe Biden:
”And now, in this moment, our nation needs your leadership once again,” she said.
Get this, VP Harris mentioned that Biden would address the nation later that Wednesday in what is expected to be one of his most important speeches of his career to explain his pivotal decision to step aside, calling him “a leader with a bold vision.” She added, “We are all deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation,” before starkly contrasting her administration’s agenda with Trump’s plan to in what many people feel will destroy democracy as we know it.
ICYMI, after VP Harris announced her candidacy, about 90,000 Black women joined a video call Sunday night to show their support for the Howard University alumna and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister.
90,000 Black women on one call. Wow.
At the event, VP Harris adopted Beyoncé’s song “Freedom” as her walk-on music at events adding to the electricity of her campaign. The Beyhive is bound to show up and show out for sure.
What’s next? Following her Indiana visit, VP Harris is scheduled to travel to Houston on Thursday to speak at the national convention of the American Federation of Teachers, which has endorsed her candidacy. That’s a big deal. Teachers matter and VP Kamala Harris understands who she will need to help her win the White House.
Get this, ”Fight Night” is adapted from the acclaimed iHeart true-crime podcast of the same name. It delves into the real events that took place in Atlanta on October 26, 1970. Will Packer, who produced the podcast, also serves as an executive producer for the series.
Kevin Hart plays Chicken Man, a hustler striving to make his mark among elite Black mafia members, gangsters, and powerful figures not just in Georgia but nationwide. He throws an afterparty to celebrate the historic fight between Muhammad Ali and Jerry Quarry, marking Ali’s return to boxing after being banned for refusing military draft. FYI, that was a big deal back then.
We won’t say to much but the party takes a disastrous turn when attendees are robbed in what is known as Atlanta’s most audacious underworld heist, with Chicken Man suspected of masterminding the plot. He must then work to prove his innocence as law enforcement seeks to bring justice to the victims.
Don Cheadle plays Detective J.D. Hudson, who faces the complex challenge of investigating the heist, especially since some victims are also criminals. That’s a good role for Cheadle, he has played a great cop or federal agent in several roles in the past.
So the podcast that inspired the limited series, first aired back in 2020, and provides the storyline:
“On October 26, 1970, Muhammad Ali triumphantly returned to boxing in Atlanta, Georgia. But the next morning, national headlines featured one of the biggest heists in history. At the center was a hustler named ‘Chicken Man.’ Fans arrived in Rolls Royces from New York City, wearing vibrant fur coats and diamonds. They entered the arena with engraved invitations, cheering when the first-round bell rang, minus two empty seats. After the fight, many top Black mafia leaders headed to Chicken Man’s house for a celebration, only to be met by sawed-off shotguns. On FIGHT NIGHT, J.D. Hudson, one of Atlanta’s first Black detectives, who helped lead Ali into the ring, was assigned to the robbery investigation by the police chief the next day. When asked years later, ‘When did the investigation end?’ J.D. replied, ‘When everybody was dead.’”
Behind the camera are Shaye Ogbonna and Jason Horwitch who serve as creators and showrunners. Executive producers include Bryan Smiley and Mike Stein for Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat, Will Packer and Sabrina Wind for Will Packer Media, and Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, and Carrie Lieberman for iHeartPodcasts, alongside Jeff Keating, Lars Jacobson, Hart, and Packer.
According to his close collaborator Gordo, Drake didn’t seem to be affected by the beef with Kendrick Lamar and was actually quite happy during that period.
Tink and Hitmaka have both made names for themselves in the music industry. They’ve scored individual success as artists. As a couple, though, things have been messy. Tink and Hitmaka parted ways in 2023 after reports that the former put hands on the latter. The nasty split spilled over to Instagram, where the two artists proceeded to air out each other’s dirty laundry and throw insults back and forth. Then, out of nowhere, Tink and Hitmaka decided to make amends. The duo decided to set their personal differences aside and focus on the music.
Tink detailed this interesting set up during a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club. The singer was asked whether it’s been difficult work so intimately with an ex, and she was forthright. She told the hosts that her and Hitmaka were contractually obligated to work on an album together, so they were forced to put their feelings aside. “I had to take the emotion out of it,” the singer noted. “And we were already in a contract so there were obligations. Things were already in motion.” Tink’s album took a particularly long time to record, and a lot of it came down to the difficulty of working with someone that she had so much history with.
“That process was different for me,” Tink explained. “It took a lot of maturity for me to get in that booth and for us to come to agreement on these songs.” The singer also admitted that certain days proved to be more difficult than others. In some instances, she needed to steer clear of Hitmaka entirely. “We had hard days where he had to walk out, and that’s just what it is,” she revealed. “I needed time away to get my mind together. I can’t look at you today, I can’t be around you, listening to what you want to say right now. “
Tink was asked which songs were about Hitmaka, in particular, but she preferred to keep the focus broad. She commended the producer for putting his ego and feelings aside to get the best possible album made. She did, however, admit that he was a point of reference during the songwriting stage. “I feel like the entire album could relate to him,” she opined. “I purposely waited to drop this album so it wasn’t 14 songs about one person.” Ultimately, though, the album is the product of both artists, and Tink is proud of it. “We went through a lot of turmoil,” she concluded. “So there’s a bit of him in a lot of these records. And he knows that, we worked on the album together.”
Last year, Lil Baby opened a new seafood restaurant in his hometown of Atlanta, The Seafood Menu Restaurant and Takeout. He worked alongside entrepreneur Chad Dillon, who also owned another local seafood restaurant called The Boiler Room as well as a nearby ice cream shop. Sadly, however, it was reported today that Dillon has passed away. Reportedly, the 33-year-old was driving around the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood yesterday (July 23) when he was shot multiple times. He later died of his injuries.
Dillon’s attorney, Malcolm Conner, confirmed his death with Atlanta News First. He added that ahead of his passing, Dillon was planning to open a Jamaican restaurant in the neighborhood. At the time of writing, the circumstances leading up to the shooting remain unclear. A suspect has not yet been revealed.
As fans and loved ones look back on Dillon’s life and leave heartfelt messages, many are reflecting on all that he accomplished. In just one year of being open, The Boiler Room reportedly sold over 180K pounds of seafood, grossing over $8 million in sales. “I am a thinker and innovator, so even without a culinary background, I enjoy finding voids in the business market and creating solutions; creating restaurant concepts from ideation to execution, coming up with new menu items, and creating amazing customer experiences. I’m also very hands-on,” Dillon told TravelNoire in 2022.
Dillon also started a foundation aimed to help incarcerated individuals start businesses upon their release. “I feel that this group is often overlooked,” he told Alyse Eady of Good Day Atlanta at the time. “Especially when it comes to employment opportunities; it’s really hard for them to get jobs.” What do you think of Chad Dillon, co-owner of Lil Baby’s The Seafood Menu Restaurant, passing away after a shooting in Atlanta? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Travis Scott’s journey to mega stardom has been one heck of a wild journey. From being a Kanye West understudy to overcoming the controversial Astroworld tragedy, and to still be on one of the biggest hip-hop tours in recent memory with Circus Maximus is quite remarkable. While many are going to view the larger accomplishments as the ones that got him to this point, it is really the journey in between those major milestones. One of the more underrated things Travis Scott did earlier on was becoming something of a Soundcloud legend. His catalog on the platform features some of his most fun and grimy bangers still to this day. Travis’s “Nothing But Net”, featuring Young Thug and PARTYNEXTDOOR, is one that we constantly revisit.
The star power isn’t just on the mic, though. TM88, Boi-1da, and Southside cooked up a darkly wonderous instrumental that is evokes quintessential 2014-2015 Travi$. From hilariously nasty bars and an outrageous delivery from Thugger, to the toxicity oozing from PND, as well as the atmospheric performance from Travis, the track has it all. Sadly, though, the song never got as much love as it deserves. Instead of making the final cut for Rodeo, it was instead released as a loosie on Scott’s Soundcloud and on a Hustle Gang mixtape called, We Run This, Vol. 13 (2016).
Yes, it still has over 21.6 million plays on the streaming service, which is very respectable. However, with Rodeo evolving into one of the best trap albums of all time nearly 10 years later, this could have been one its biggest success stories. Travis is certainly doing more than fine right now, so it doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. What this does prove is that he has so much heat in the vault that ultimately, he has to split hairs. But we still are going to show love to it, and you should too.
“Nothing But Net”- Travis Scott, PARTYNEXTDOOR, & Young Thug
Quotable Lyrics:
My words don’t know if I crashed into a pool or her jaw Pops never home, left a long term On the back when a lil’ n**** had to sit and deal with it Loner turned rock star, n****, under the moon Got the world in my palm, ’bout to rub her p***y with it When you dominate it, come with digits
The world of Diddy couldn’t be any more shakey as lawsuits detailing sexual abuse mount against him. His legal troubles continue, even outside of those that are explicitly detailing alleged crimes that he’s committed. In another turn of events, it was recently revealed that Diddy’s name appears 77 times in Keefe D’s court documents, according to The Sun. What’s more, Keefe D was allegedly a confidential informant for the police who reportedly tried to implicate Diddy in an undercover operation while simultaneously working with detectives from the LAPD.
Keefe D: The Alleged Informant With A Hidden Agenda
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Duane Davis, also known as Keefe D, was not just an accused murderer; he was also an alleged police informant. Court filings by Las Vegas prosecutors, obtained by The Sun, claim that Keefe D began cooperating with law enforcement after they caught him trafficking drugs. He reportedly provided information on Tupac’s murder, believing he would be immune from prosecution. His alleged cooperation included a recorded account of the events leading to Tupac’s death, where he claimed Diddy had offered him a million dollars to kill the rapper.
Diddy’s Alleged Involvement
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 21: Sean “Diddy” Combs speaks during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference National Town Hall on September 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation)
The court documents further implicate Diddy by recounting another interview with Keefe D. According to the filings, Diddy inquired whether the South Side Crips were responsible for Tupac’s death, to which Keefe D proudly confirmed. This exchange is a critical piece of evidence suggesting Diddy’s knowledge and possible involvement in the conspiracy to murder Tupac. Despite these allegations, Diddy has consistently denied any involvement in Tupac’s death.
Prosecutors allege that “Defendant [Keefe] has asserted publicly that he only told on himself and wasn’t trying to provide evidence against anyone else in his conversations with police… However, this statement belies this claim, as he suggested that Sean Combs paid Eric Von Martin a million dollars for the killings.”
According to the documents, prosecutors claim that three months after Keefe D’s recorded confession, he became an active confidential informant for a task force investigating Biggie Smalls’ murder. Keefe D and the task force officers traveled to New York to corroborate the conspiracy involving Diddy. During this undercover operation, Keefe D interacted with Eric “Zip” Martin, an alleged accomplice reportedly involved in the conspiracy with Diddy. “Task Force Detectives believed they had jurisdiction to investigate a Nevada homicide because Defendant asserted that the conspiracy to commit the murder began in California between Defendant, Eric ‘Zip’ Martin, and Sean Combs,” the documents read. The court papers reveal that Keefe D and Zip had a social interaction where Zip redirected Keefe D to his nephew for drug activities, indicating his withdrawal from the business.
Keefe D’s Legal Troubles & Bail Denial
Keefe D’s legal battle continues as he faces trial for Tupac’s murder in November. Despite securing a $750,000 bond, a judge denied his release due to concerns about the source of the funds. Prosecutors have presented extensive evidence against Keefe D, including statements he made in interviews and books, which place him in Las Vegas on the night of the murder. Investigators also found a hotel reservation under Keefe D’s wife’s name, further placing him at the crime scene.
During a heated bail bond hearing on Tuesday, Duane “Keefe D” Davis lashed out at prosecutors and a former LAPD detective, expressing his frustration over his legal situation. Keefe D, who hoped to pursue reality TV and movie projects upon his release, appeared visibly agitated as Judge Carli Kierny deliberated his bail. His lawyer, Carl Arnold, argued for his release, asserting Keefe D’s right to profit from his reputation, given his lack of conviction for Tupac Shakur’s murder. However, prosecutors contended that Keefe’s bail money was deceitfully sourced from a friend, posing a danger to the community.
Court Outburst
Keefe’s outburst was prompted by allegations that he and rap entertainer Cash “Wack 100” Jones misled the court regarding the bail bond’s origins. Prosecutors played recorded jail phone calls revealing discussions about a potential TV deal, further complicating Keefe’s defense. Keefe vehemently denied any deal with Jones for TV projects, and Jones echoed this denial in court.
Keefe’s anger escalated when prosecutors referenced his taped confession to LAPD, where he admitted involvement in Tupac’s 1996 murder. This confession, part of a proffer deal originally protecting him from prosecution, has now become a crucial piece of evidence. Retired LAPD officer Greg Kading, central to Keefe’s confession, was a particular target of Keefe’s ire. Keefe accused Kading of mishandling evidence and breaking the law by conducting TV interviews and storing evidence improperly.
Addressing Judge Kierny directly, Keefe argued against the use of Kading’s evidence, calling it tainted and unlawful. Despite Kierny’s attempts to maintain order, Keefe continued his tirade, accusing prosecutors of unfairly involving his family in the case. Kierny indicated she needed more time to review the evidence before making a decision on Keefe’s bail.
Keefe’s outburst comes in the wake of a 179-page court motion by prosecutors urging for his continued detention, citing his danger to the community and a history of violent behavior. This motion also details Keefe’s role as a confidential informant, where he attempted to implicate Sean “Diddy” Combs in Tupac’s murder. Despite these allegations, Diddy has consistently denied any involvement in the killing. Keefe faces life imprisonment if convicted of Tupac’s murder, with the trial slated for later this year.
The recent court developments linking Diddy to Tupac’s murder come amid a series of other legal issues for the music mogul. Diddy has faced multiple lawsuits accusing him of sex trafficking and sexual assault, all of which he has denied. Earlier this year, his properties were raided by Homeland Security officials as part of a federal sex trafficking investigation. The convergence of these legal battles raises significant questions about Diddy’s future and the potential impact on his career and legacy.
Streamers are breaking records now? Guess so and Kai Cenat is doing it again after recently teasing on the Twitch chat to debut an unreleased track by Drake and Lil Yachty. That’s kind of a big deal.
Get this, the song is rumored to be titled “Super Soak,” and although Cenat didn’t confirm the name, he did play the entire track, which runs for about four minutes.
The song features a sample from Mr. HotSpot’s “Goodness Gracious.” That original song is a vibe btw.
Drake leads the hook with the bars:
“I’m watching the moves, I’m playin’ it close / S.O.D., super soak / Rainy days, his and hers, matching coat / Jet is so big, it feel like a boat, staying afloat / I’m watching the moves, I’m playin’ it close.”
Following Drake’s hook, Lil Yachty, also known as Boat, takes over for the final two verses and does his Yachty thing which doesn’t disappoint.
Bad Boy: Ride or Die star Will Smith is really taking his resurgence to music seriously. The Philly born rapper just signed a new independent record deal with SLANG.
This went down after a memorable performance at the BET Awards, Smith joined the roster of the independent label spearheaded by music executive Rene McLean. McLean, a founding advisor and partner at Influence Media Partners, announced the deal through The Hollywood Reporter.
Get this, Smith is now part of a lineup that includes Grammy-winning producer Camper, top-charting producer 30 Roc, emerging rap talent Leaf, hip hop duo The Underachievers, and underground sensation RY XP. All indie artists who all have established fan bases. McLean emphasized the label’s dedication to its artists, stating:
“In a rapidly changing music industry, SLANG artists will be supported by a team of strategists dedicated to advancing their careers and achieving their goals. Our commitment to culture comes first, and we consider our SLANG roster family.”
ICYMI: Will performed at the BET Awards on June 30, with the Sunday Service Choir and R&B singer Friday giving audiences a taste of his inspirational song “You Can Make It.” They were accompanied by gospel music from Kirk Franklin in a performance highlighted by a dramatic rainstorm.
Smith blessed the world with words of encouragement, Smith stated, “Nobody gets an easy ride. We all have a cross to bear, but there’s wisdom in the fire, and every moment is an opportunity. Embrace the journey.”
Back in the day, before Smith was one of the world’s biggest movies stars, he came on the scene with a music career in 1987 with DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, producing hits like “Summertime” and “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” the latter winning the first-ever rap Grammy in 1989. His solo career brought further success with chart-toppers such as “Wild Wild West” and “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” which earned him another Grammy.
It’s been almost twenty years since his last album dropped, “Lost and Found,” released in 2005. Even still, more recently, Smith has featured on tracks by Marc Anthony, Nicky Jam, Joyner Lucas, Bomba Estéreo, and his son, Jaden Smith. He also collaborated with Sean Paul on the soundtrack for the blockbuster film “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.” That film was the biggest movie of summer 2024 and seems like Will Smith is continuing his string of success with the new deal with SLANG.
