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Redman has been spitting bars for decades now, having influenced no shortage of lyricists to follow his lead — including Eminem, who has often cited Reggie Noble as a formative influence. And even though the modern-day hip-hop landscape has altered significantly since Redman first exploded onto the scene, the legendary emcee has never deviated from the mission. In fact, he continues to emphasize the importance of sharp lyricism, as indicated by his upcoming single “80 Barz.” 

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Earlier this week, Redman confirmed that his upcoming track would be arriving this Friday, April 16th, at midnight. He also shared a brief snippet of the onslaught to come, spitting a few of the introductory lines. “Whatup ya’ll, say hello to the champ / make you duck down, learned that out my boot camp,” he raps. “I was a big deal when MJ dated Brooke Shields / now I’m equipped to go Bushwick for the Bills / that boy, I’m the red button don’t press me / and I’m a fucked up dad the way I dead beats.” 

This afternoon, Redman shared an additional glimpse at the “Barz” to come, this time drawing from a more intense part of the song. “I don’t lie fool, I shit like I ate an order of Thai food,” he raps, over distorted synthesizers produced by himself and Chris Pinset. “I can give you seventeen syllable haikus / no one seeing Doc, America should think like Erykah Badu / back and forth with the blunt get Aaliyah high / my block push the weight till it’s legalized.”

Given that the average one-hundred bar output tends in to clock in anywhere between five and six minutes, expect a reasonably lengthy track from Reggie’s “80 Barz.” Check back at midnight to catch Redman’s next lyrical onslaught, and keep an eye out for Muddy Waters 2, which currently remains on the horizon. In other Redman news, he’ll be partaking in a special 4/20 Verzuz battle against his longtime friend and collaborator Method Man. 

Despite J. Lo and A-Rod officially calling quits, the pair still seems to have some ties, including an $1.8 million engagement ring. 

In early March of this year, it was first reported that the former couple affectionately known a J-Rod, had broken off their 2-year engagement and relationship entirely. It turns out, the couple were not quite ready to reveal their split at this time, and followed up the rumors with a denial.

Lopez has been in the Dominican Republic shooting a movie for some time now, and in April, the ring was seemingly left at home, sparking more rumors. The couple finally confirmed their break-up in a joint statement earlier today.

While fans are saddened by their split after four years, sources say the pair are still on good terms and plan to stay in business together moving forward. As far as what happens to the expensive, extravagant rock, according to a source, the “Jenny From The Block”singer still has the ring in her possession, which is surprising considering most would have returned it to the sender after calling it quits. 

Caroline Brehman-Pool/Getty Images

According to TMZ, there hasn’t been any conversation between J. Lo and A-Rod regarding who will keep the ring, and apparently, it was routine for the pair to exchange “massive amounts of jewelry”– the expensive kind. While the former baseball player kept the singer iced out, J. Lo expanded his collection of watches, possibly a fair trade. 

Lopez and Rodriguez explained the reasoning behind their split as follows: 

“We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so. We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects. We wish the best for each other and one another’s children.”

Who do you think should keep the engagement ring? Let us know in the comments. 

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There have been some truly incredible Air Jordan 4 colorways over the last 30 years and it doesn’t seem like Jumpman has any plans on slowing down the production of this iconic shoe. About 15 years ago, the Air Jordan 4 received one of its most flashy colorways which was called “Lightning.” Fans remember this colorway fondly as it featured a bright yellow upper all while black and white were placed at different points around the tongue, laces, and even the midsole.

Sneakerheads have been clamoring for these to make a comeback and now, they will be getting that wish. Today, Jumpman unveiled the official images for the new “Lightning” retro and as you can see, the new model certainly stays true to the original. If you missed out on the original release from back in 2006, then you should definitely consider giving these a shot when they release in the summertime.

The release date has been officially set for August 7th for a price of $225 USD. These are going to be heavily sought after so depending on the platform you try to get these on, be prepared for some Ls. In the meantime, let us know what you think, in the comments below.

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Wait… is Snowfall officially a better show than The Wire? The FX crime drama has been one of the hottest shows on television all year but people can’t really be saying that it’s surpassed The Wire? Right?

Joe Budden Podcast co-host Mal has sparked a heated debate on social media after claiming that he believes Snowfall is a better program than The Wire. The fourth season of Snowfall has been earning rave reviews and the John Singleton-produced drama seems to be the latest craze on television. While some people agree that it has the potential to eventually pass The Wire, the majority of people commenting on Mal’s hot take are arguing that there is no defeating The Wire… ever.

“I can always appreciate the boldness of a person who comes on here and tries to convince people that a show is better than The Wire,” responded one fan. “But, you just aren’t going to win that battle,” he concluded. That seems to be the general consensus. While everyone respects that Snowfall is one of the best shows on television, not everybody understands why the debate is even occurring. “Trying to lump any show about drugs in with THE WIRE is disrespectful on so many levels,” said one commenter.

Let us know what you think about this. Is Snowfall better than The Wire? Do you think the two should even be compared? Check out some responses below.

Another Black man’s life has been lost due to a police shooting. 

On Monday, Matthew Zadok Williams, 35, was shot and killed in his home near Decatur, Georgia around 4 p.m. after DeKalb County police responded to reports of a man with a knife, per the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, although they have not released any audio from a 911 call yet, nor have they confirmed who placed this call. The police are alleging that he “lunged at officers with a knife on two separate occasions,” ultimately leading to the shooting, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

However, the family of the victim does not believe this narrative. 

Wiliams’ sister, Hahnah Williams, told the publication that he was a “non-violent person.” She added, “He wouldn’t kill a bug.” His mother and his sisters are adamant on getting the DeKalb County Police Department to release the body camera footage of the incident, as they feel he would not show any aggression toward the cops. 

One of Williams’ neighbors said he saw Matthew flee from officers and jump through a glass window before the first round of gunfire. The neighbor also mentioned he didn’t see Williams with any kind of weapon, and after Matthew dove into the window, he heard someone scream and a gun go off once, followed by several other shots shortly after.

The family’s attorney Mawuli Davis told the AJC, “Based on what we’re hearing, whatever happened is very, very different from what police are reporting.” The attorney also called for the bodycam footage to be released.

Hahnah said she believes Matthew was dealing with a plumbing problem outside of his condo, and neighbors saw him with a blue bucket– but no knife. She thinks the officers “caught him by surprise” ultimately leading to him running and breaking his window. “He was so scared, he kicked his own window in just to get away,” she said.

Natalie Ammons, a GBI spokeswoman, said officers attempted to use a taser on Williams instead of a gun, but the taser didn’t work, leading to the use of their firearms. The DKCB has launched an internal investigation on the incident.

Williams’ mother Chris Ann Lewis said the police didn’t notify her of her son’s death until the following day, according to the AJC.

The victim’s family set up a GoFundMe page to help support them with legal fees in seeking justice for his death. 

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Three years ago, Atlanta rapper and Gucci Mane affiliate Ralo was arrested alongside 13 others and indicted on charges of trafficking millions of dollars worth of marijuana. With the possibility of facing a maximum 40-year sentence, Ralo initially decided to plead not guilty, as he was adamant that he would beat the case. Last year, the Atlanta rapper was nearly granted a $250 thousand bond before evidence that he was orchestrating drug deals from behind bars surfaced, and to this day, Ralo remains in jail. 

At the beginning of this month, the Free Ralo movement appeared to gain some much-needed steam when Drake and several other artists within the music industry signed a letter sent to President Joe Biden in hopes that he would officially grant Ralo a presidential pardon. Yet weeks later, Ralo’s legal battle has reportedly taken an unexpected turn.

VladTV has retrieved a court document filed Tuesday by U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman, and according to the outlet, the court has been informed that Ralo “intends to enter a guilty plea in this case.” The rapper faces charges of trafficking and conspiring to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, and VladTV’s exclusive report reveals that he has decided to plead guilty to at least one of the charges.

Stay tuned for updates in this case, and as always, Free Ralo. 

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One of the most famous weed-smokers in the entire world, Wiz Khalifa has officially co-signed the dopest plan to celebrate 4/20 this year. Coming up next week, Wiz wants you to be prepared for your daylong smoke session so he’s dropping his foolproof plan, complete with a new playlist, his own strain of weed, the perfect munchies, and more.

The cannabis king Wiz Khalifa has spoken and he’s revealing the perfect way to spend 4/20. If you’re a Wiz stan, you surely already know how he rolls but if you’re just getting used to the high life, you might need a refresher. Of course, Wiz’s pick for the best strain to puff on is his own Khalifa Kush. In case you start to cough, Wiz suggests his 4/20 Freestyle cocktail to ease your throat.

Photo credit: Sophie Lawrence

The drink is made with an ounce of his go-to gin, McQueen and the Violet Fog, followed by a half-ounce of the cannabis-infused pineapple beverage from Shoki. Then, add a half-ounce of Aperol, follow up with an ounce of orange juice, pour a quarter-ounce of lemon juice, and top it all off with some Luc Belaire Gold. Take a look at the drink below.

Image via Publicist

Of course, the tunes need to be right too. Wiz suggests his brand new McQueen Nights playlist on Spotify, which includes music from the Taylor Gang collective, Pop Smoke, Key Glock, Russ, Juice WRLD, and more. Of course, HotNewHipHop also has a pretty solid Wake & Bake playlist that could suit you just as well. If you get the munchies, Wiz has the perfect menu set at Hotbox By Wiz. 

Will you be celebrating 4/20 like Wiz Khalifa this year? How do you plan on rolling up on Tuesday?

Photo credit: Sophie Lawrence