newhiphopnews 
New York rap OG Lil’ Kim is celebrating in style. In honor of her 47th birthday earlier in the month, fellow Brooklyn native Fabolous took the Queen Bee out to her favorite restaurant to turn up. The pair, and friends, had an unforgettable night at Jue Lan Kitchen in the Big Apple. She went to […]
Atlanta rapper Lil Baby and NBA All-Star James Harden really are best friends. After going across the globe for Paris Fashion Week – and getting in legal trouble – they’ve returned to the United States and took their friendship goals to the South. Lil Baby + James Harden Turn Up At Rolling Loud Harden and […]
New York rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine is living his best life even if most of the rap game has zero interest in supporting him. New footage reveals the Big Apple native turning up in the club at a 21 Savage concert. 6ix9ine Turns Up In The Club 6ix9ine turned up hardcore at the club, and still […]
Yung Bleu is one of the most promising new artists to break out in the past year. Over the course of his career, he’s developed a strong and loyal fanbase that’s grown substantially. He’s received the utmost support from his peers in the music industry, as well as seasoned vets. Boosie Badazz was not only one of Bleu’s earliest supporters but he signed the “You’re Mine Still” rapper to his label.
Bleu’s gone through the motions of the music industry throughout the past few years including a stint with the majors. During a recent appearance on the Breakfast Club where he explained his relationship with Boosie Badazz. He explained that regardless of whether he’s releasing music under Boosie’s label, they continue to do business with one another.
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“We really like family so it’s like, it’s more than the contract…. Whatever I said I’mma do, I’mma still do,” he explained. “A lot of people can’t relate to that because it’s strictly business with the people that they do business with. Me and Boosie… [he] like my big bruh.”
Bleu explained that Boosie understood that he had to make the right moves in order for his career to get bigger. He also addressed certain interviews that attempt to spin Bleu’s comments to Boosie in a negative light. “They try to bring back stuff that I said and stuff like that just to get him to say something but, like, I really be around Boosie,” he said.
Check the full interview below.
It has been an especially rough season for Keyshia Cole following the death of the singer’s mother. Last week, Frankie Lons reportedly passed away on her 61st birthday, and since that time, her children have taken to social media to publicly grieve her loss. It took a few days before Keyshia publicly honored her mother with a lengthy Instagram post and later, she appeared on Instagram Live to once again pay tribute.
“I created this post to show my love and appreciation for your life and I would like to thank my fans + supporters, shooot your supporters and fans, for being here with us during these hard times, and the love that you all have for us,” Keyshia wrote at the time. “The love for all your children was definitely felt. When u said all you want is to have ALL OF YOUR CHILDREN IN ONE PLACE, AT ONE TIME meant the most to you, And I’m completely down to do that for you. Even through our differences …. WE LOVE YOU.”
The singer returned with an update on how she has been handling this difficult time. “The fact that DJ just gave me his cold, SMH!” she wrote about her eldest son. “And I have to care for my youngest. Dealing with mom passing!!! Plan Tobias bday! He’s turning 2 Aug 1st! I just can’t!” Keyshia’s mounting schedule is taking its toll, but her family members unexpectedly showing up at her home is also causing a bit of stress.
“Not gonna lie tho, the hundreds of thousands of DM’s I’m receiving!!! And my youngest @tobiaskhaled keeping me busy and @daniel_gibsonjr keeping me on him everyday,” Keyshia added. “And my endless family and friend coming by even tho they f*cking noooooo I’d rather be alone [face palm emoji].”
She said they “literally don’t care” and “keeping doing it anyway.” What she would like to do is just “lay here alone and just feel bad” but she doesn’t have that luxury. Check out the post below.
Due to the fact that DaBaby keeps engaging in strange behavior like spouting off homophobic nonsense, and collaborating with Tory Lanez, the rapper who is trying to gaslight Megan Thee Stallion about their violent altercation that led to her getting shot last year, fans are quickly turning on the North Carolina breakout star. They’re turning so fast, in fact, that a new mashup replaces him on the remix of Dua Lipa’s hit single “Levitating” with a verse from Megan instead.
Since Dua and Megan themselves let us know they can’t wait to collaborate, fans took matters into their own hands and forced the issue. Some internet geniuses slapped Megan’s verse from her Phony PPL collaboration, “Fkn Around,” into the breaks where DaBaby’s verse formerly existed. They even went so far as to graft clips of Megan in the “Fkn Around” video into the “Levitating” visuals. When I tell you that the next generation has me in awe at least once a week! Check out the new fan-made clip, along with the original remix version below, so you can see how seamless the new version is. Above, I’ve also included the original Phony PPL song, because it’s also incredible and underrated. The internet, man, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
can someone please tell me the name of the song w Megan in it?
— ( ꈍᴗꈍ)
(@jinpacaparka_) July 26, 2021
The sinister, jolting production on Pop Smoke’s “Welcome To The Party” felt as if it could have been bound to the same fate as Chief Keef’s “I Don’t Like”– both songs were harbingers of an authentic street voice and both songs faced immediate virality, making it all-too-susceptible for someone like Kanye West or an affiliated party to remix the record while latching on to the emerging sound of the youth. Surprisingly, that wasn’t the case, and nor did we end up getting any sort of Kanye West-produced Pop Smoke track at any immediate point after his death (it was apparently saved for DONDA). The fact that the late rapper was signed to Pusha T’s manager foreshadowed that, perhaps, the G.O.O.D Music influence would rub off one way or another.
Maybe, that was what was on display when Pop linked up with Travis Scott on “GATTI,” or when he attempted to replicate Scott’s robotic groans on “Christopher Walking.” Meet The Woo 2, in many ways, followed this template of vocoder-laden bangers with songs like “Shake The Room” ft. Quavo that were positioned for festival stage dominance. His widely palatable take on drill was expanded on and formed the success of his first posthumous album, Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon. Currently, Shoot For The Stars is the highest-selling hip-hop album of 2021, even one year after its release. That’s a testament to what would’ve been Pop Smoke’s trajectory and his own vision. Shoot For The Stars felt like an album that could have been created by Pop Smoke before his tragic passing. A few final touches from his label and 50 Cent is likely what helped the album remain a commercial giant for a year after its release — a rare feat for an album, let alone a posthumous release. Can the same success be replicated with Faith? Likely not. It’s an album that’s presented as an apostolic gospel from a late rapper, even kicking off with words from his mother explaining the album’s title over “Welcome To The Party.” Again, Steven Victor and Pop’s co-manager Rico Beats brought together a line-up of artists that, for all we know, may have not worked with Pop Smoke otherwise. That’s not to say that they aren’t fans of Pop, but one particular quote from an interview with Nadeska Alexis on Beats1 began circulating moments after the album dropped. “If you notice, I don’t do songs with n***as. My tape ain’t have nobody on it ‘cause I don’t fuck with n***as,” he explained of his featureless debut, Meet The Woo.
No one can truly say whether this statement would stand if he were able to physically bask in his own success. But the outcome of Faith is, well, disappointing. In the past year and some change, a vault of songs from Pop Smoke has leaked on the internet. Many of them were recorded alongside neighborhood friends that ultimately didn’t get their moment to shine on Faith. Songs like “Top Shotta,” originally featuring Eli Fross, initially played towards the adrenaline-rushing sounds pumping through New York City. Due to apparent clearance issues, the song was re-worked with Caribbean-style steel drums provided by the Neptunes and new cameos from Travi, BEAM, and Pusha T, who also appears alongside Kanye West on “Tell The Vision.” The unfortunate part about “Top Shotta” is that, even with star-quality and vibrant new production, it is blatantly obvious that this song’s curation wasn’t Pop Smoke’s doing. His vocals sound mixed for the heavy drill production rather than the upbeat, breezy dancehall-influenced beat, and at moments, his punchlines nearly skip the beat by a millisecond.
If the album is called Faith, why not put some of that into Pop’s actual vision instead of trying to replicate a Pusha T album? “Top Shotta,” though certainly more bright in its production, feels like an attempt to apply the same concept behind “Exodus 23:1” to a drill banger. Pusha T’s ethos, in that sense, also extends to “Manslaughter” ft. Rick Ross and The-Dream — another song that faced a similar fate as “Top Shotta” due to sample clearance issues. However, the song benefits from Pop’s take on 50 Cent’s signature rap-sing delivery, which could be the closest thing to hearing Rozay and the Power boss on the same track.
The album, unfortunately, hits its lowest points after the fourteen-song mark. Already filled to the brim with A-List features, there’s a shamelessness in inserting rough Pop Smoke vocals into an 80’s electro-pop record with Dua Lipa. Or bringing Chris Brown into the fold for their take on Ne-Yo’s 2005 hit “So Sick.” It would be far more effective if collaborations alongside artists like Pharrell Williams or Kid Cudi weren’t solely for namesake.
The twenty-song project contains more filler than substance but the highs are a firm reminder of Pop Smoke’s gargantuan presence. “Bout A Million” ft. 21 Savage and 42 Dugg is an excellent glimpse of what could’ve been Pop Smoke’s reign in hip-hop along with the peers of his era. Even though this was likely recorded well after Pop’s passing, there’s synchronicity in the depictions of their upbringing and experiences in different pockets of America. Collaborations alongside Bizzy Banks (even if it is a remix) and Rah Swish are offerings of drill music in an unadulterated way.
With only a fifth of the album consisting of solo tracks, the biggest misstep on Faith is that it’s largely missing the star of the show. Pop’s presence looms on its own. Songs like “PTSD” and even singles like “Dior” became quintessential records in his catalog because they allowed Pop to shine bright without any assistance. No multi-platinum feature to boost streams or force it onto playlist selections — simply raw, honest rap music that bubbled organically from the streets to the radio.
Back in December of 2019, Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington battled it out for the UFC Welterweight title. In the end, it was Usman who came out victorious as he was able to knock off Covington with a huge punch right to the face. This knockout victory had UFC fans singing Usman’s praises especially in light of Covington’s whole Make America Great Again persona.
Since that time, Usman has successfully defended his title on numerous occasions all while Covington has mounted an impressive comeback with a string of big wins. With both of these fighters experiencing success, there have been rumors that the two would be on track for a rematch, and now, it looks like it is finally going to happen.
According to UFC reporter Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Usman and Covington will fight each other in November at UFC 268. As you would expect, this match will be for the Welterweight title, where Usman will look to defend his crown, once again. This is a match that has been highly anticipated and it should be interesting to see how each fighter approaches this bout given how the first one ended.
This is going to be a big fight for the sport, and we’re sure Covington and Usman will be ready to deliver come November. In the meantime, let us know who you think is going to win this fight, in the comments below.
Adele popped out with NBA agent boyfriend Rich Paul on the sidelines of Game 5 of the NBA Finals last week, shocking all the tabloids, following prolonged rumors about who exactly the famous singer was dating– everyone from Skepta to Chris Brown was a suspect.
As we reported, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also referenced their relationship during an episode of The Lowe Post podcast after the game, sharing, “Rich Paul, [LeBron’s] agent, brings his girlfriend to the game to sit next to LeBron. His girlfriend is Adele… This is the first time that they’ve come out in public together. So this will be all over the tabloids, especially in England tomorrow.”
The couple has made another public appearance this past weekend, so we know it’s real. This time, the two went to 76ers co-owner Robert Kraft’s 80th birthday bash in the Hamptons. Other big names in attendance reportedly included Lionel Richie, David Spade, Jon Bon Jovi, Meek Mill, and the list goes on. According to Page Six, Adele and Rich were seen on a double date in Manhattan on Thursday, as well.
While the two’s relationship is just recently becoming public news, Rich Paul almost spilled the beans back in May. As we reported, he told The New Yorker he was “hanging out” with a “major pop star” who had just been over to his place the day before.
Adele has yet to publicly say anything about her relationship, much on par with her seemingly attention-shy persona.
[via]
