newhiphopnews 
North Carolina native DaBaby reportedly was “this” close to apologizing before almost getting canceled. New reports reveal he was going to record an apology video to the LGBTQ+ community before being cut by a handful of festivals. DaBaby Was Supposed To Make An Apology Video DaBaby was going to issue an apology before a slew […]
To say that Andre Young has come a long way from blah, blah, blah is common. Ask all the greats of past and they’ll tell you, it’s lonely at the top. Dr. Dre has been smart enough to embrace the friendships he’s made over the years as a musical icon. With hints of a project […]
With each Verzuz battle comes fans’ calls for their favorite artists to make appearances. In the several Verzuz performances that have taken place since its online inception, Missy Elliott has been a repeated feature even without showing face on stage. The innovative music icon has not only crafted hits while flying solo, but has collaborated with some of the most coveted acts in the industry, and following The LOX and Dipset lighting up the stage on Tuesday (August 3) evening, fans are once again pleading with the Verzuz gods to make room for Missy.
The humble artist takes her compliments in stride and thanks her supporters for thinking so much of her career, but we have yet to receive confirmation that Elliott will bless the stage alongside a formidable opponent.
One fan tweeted that Missy should have a Verzuz appearance that mirrored D’Angelo‘s, as he was able to perform solo while also having surprise guests. Missy answered the fan, but it wasn’t the response that her followers were hoping for.
“Aww I am so Humbly Grateful,” she replied. “But I think we will wait later on me. I just enjoy watching everyone else’s #verzuzbattle Vibing to all of their Classics & what they have done musically for the CULTURE! Respect to all of them last night was Epic btw.” Still, fans weighed in with the tracks that they believe Missy should include in a Verzuz as well as debated which artists she should bring along as guests. Timbaland is a must, obviously, and we could see Ginuwine showing face.
Check out the brief exchange below along with Missy’s posts of her hits and let us know if you think sheshould take to the Verzuz stage.
View this post on Instagram
Days after it was announced that TikTok star Anthony Barajas had passed away following a shooting, another popular figure from the platform has also died. Barajas, 19, was at a movie theater with a friend when someone shot them both as they watched The Forever Purge. The pair weren’t found until an employee checked on the theater once the screening was over, and while Barajas’s friend died at the scene, there was hope that the TikTok influencer would survive his injuries as he was placed on life support.
Sadly, his near-million followers have taken to his social media pages to mourn his death, and on Wednesday (August 4), news broke that Timbo The Redneck, real name Timothy Hall, lost his life during an accident.
According to multiple reports, Hall was in his pick-up truck doing donuts in his friend’s front yard when he was thrown from the vehicle. A friend named Tony revealed the tragic news in a YouTube video where he detailed what happened.
“He passed away,” said Tony. “He was doing donuts with his girlfriend and the truck just flipped over and he flew out the driver’s side window and the truck landed on top of him.” Hall’s mother accessed his Instagram and asked for the public’s help to offset funeral costs and sent out a link to a GoFundMe account.
This marks the third death of a TikTok star in recent months. In July, Swavy, real name Matima Miller, was shot and killed in Delaware.
Check out a few posts from Hall and his loved ones below.
View this post on Instagram
In his latest apology, DaBaby suggested that his Rolling Loud Miami remarks, as well as the comments to follow, should have been met with offers to educate rather than criticisms, and he’s receiving just that. Throughout his recent scandal, people have continuously reached out via social media with statistics and facts relating to the LGBTQIA+ community as well as delivering information about HIV/AIDS in hopes of breaking stigmas, and it is reported that 11 organizations have gathered together to pen an open letter to the rapper.
According to Variety, the organizations are: “Arianna’s Center, Black AIDS Institute, GLAAD, The Normal Anomaly Initiative, Prevention Access Campaign, Relationship Unleashed, The 6:52 Project Foundation, and leaders from the Gilead COMPASS Initiative including Southern AIDS Coalition, Emory University, the University of Houston, and Wake Forest University.”
In a detailed, lengthy open letter, they addressed his homophobic remarks as well as his follow-up comments about HIV/AIDS.
We, the undersigned, represent organizations leading the fight to prevent HIV and provide care and treatment for people living with HIV, especially Black LGBTQ people across the Southern United States.
We heard your inaccurate and harmful comments at Rolling Loud and have read your Instagram apology. However, at a time when HIV continues to disproportionately impact Black Americans and queer and transgender people of color, a dialogue is critical. We must address the miseducation about HIV, expressed in your comments, and the impact it has on various communities.
They also spoke about the advances in medicine as well as suggesting that DaBaby use his voice to advocate for those disenfranchised Black communities in the South, where he’s from, whose “needs are notoriously under-represented across every public spectrum.”
As leaders of organizations directly serving Black, LGBTQ, and HIV+ communities, we invite you to a private, off-the-record, virtual discussion with us. You stated you now understand how and why your comments were damaging. An open conversation holds the potential for you to now create meaningful impact by transforming from an adversary to an advocate.
DaBaby has yet to publicly respond to their invitation. You can read through the letter in full below.
[via]
Last spring, Live Nation, Snoop Dogg, and Bobby Dee announced the Lovers & Friends festival, a massive showcase that would bring some of the best singers and rappers of the 1990s and 2000s to one stage. The festival flyer was equipped with names that included Lauryn Hill, Usher, Lil Jon, Ludacris, Ciara, Nelly, Ashanti, Ja Rule, Ne-Yo, Trey Songz, Brandy, and, Monica — and that’s just on the first two lines of the poster.
Then the pandemic arrived and forced the postponement of the festival, as it did for many other big name showcases. Luckily Lovers & Friends announced that the festival — with all the artists that appeared on the original flyer — would return on May 14, 2022. Now, the showcase has unveiled a second date for the show.
Lauryn Hill, Usher, Lil Jon, Ludacris, and the rest of the crew will take the stage for the festival in Las Vegas for an added show on May 15, 2022. Those who signed up for access to presale tickets for the May 14 date will now have access to the “First Dibs Presale” for the May 15 date which begins on Saturday, August 7 at 3 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. PST. Another presale for the second date will begin on Monday, August 9 at 1 p.m. EST / 10 a.m. PST while tickets for the general public will be made available starting August 9 at 5 p.m. EST / 2 a.m. PST.
For more information, check out loversandfriendsfest.com.
There are several women out in the world who have received ink dedicated to Blueface. Some have been fans who wanted to show just how dedicated they are, while others are like Chrisean Rock who continues to brand herself with the rapper’s name. Back in March, Blueface’s artist revealed that she’d gotten his name tattooed on her face, and after the ink went viral, he vocalized his disapproval.
At the time, Blueface questioned why Chrisean would do something so drastic and she seemed to laugh at his anger, responding that it was a personal decision. On Wednesday (August 4), Chrisean revealed that she has yet another Blueface tattoo of his government named Jonathan Porter, this time on the side of her neck.
Blueface quickly returned with another video where he is heard questioning Chrisean about her most recent addition. She coyly avoids answering his inquiries while he makes it clear that he’s not selling her a dream or making promises that they will be in a romantic relationship. Chrisean laughs it off, but Blueface sternly repeats himself to let his followers and fans know that there is nothing going on between the two of them.
“I’m just your biggest fan,” she said in between laughs. He asked her if she understood what he was telling her and attempted to make her promise that this was the last tattoo of him or his name. Check out the exchange below.
Also, make sure to check out our interview with Blueface: Blueface Talks 6ix9ine Beef, Opening A Restaurant, XXL Freshman List, & More.
A slight social media flex went left for Draya Michele after she shared a photo of her factory workers on Instagram. Many have watched as Draya has grown from a model to a reality star on Basketball Wives to a social media influencer to a fashion designer and business owner. It seems that she wanted to tease that other celebrities are enjoying their summer vacations overseas while she’s hard at work.
“Everyone’s in europe and i’m just here ceo-ing,” she captioned her Instagram Story post. It showed a bird’s eye view of factory workers in front of sewing machines as piles of fabric and clothing surrounded them. It was assumed these were garments and bathing suits being made for her Mint Swim brand.
It looked as if Draya wanted to show that she has been opting to cancel vacations in order to keep her business successful, but the internet quickly responded with accusations that she was peddling a sweatshop. Many people complained that this wasn’t the flex that Draya may have intended it to be while others demanded to know how much the workers were being paid.
Draya has yet to acknowledge the accusations publicly, but you can check out her post and a few reactions below.
There are a number of artists who are open about their marijuana use, among them Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus. Another used to be Kehlani. In a recent TikTok video, the singer opened up about her past experience with the drug after a fan asked about it. She also explained why she decided to stop smoking it.
@kehlani Reply to @_sethrogansbongwater_
“I used to smoke a lot of weed and now I speak on it in a past tense perspective,” she said. “People think I’m s*itting on weed, I’m not. I loved weed when I was involved with it. It’s a beautiful plant with very nice properties when used correctly. I don’t think that I was using it correctly. I think I was overusing it.”
She addded, “It really really messed with my vocal cords and it really took a lot of energy from my day … I stopped to regulate my body and myself… I got to a point where I couldn’t eat, sleep or be at a social gathering. I couldn’t kick it without smoking weed and I just didn’t want it to have that hold on my life anymore … And also my throat and lungs were tired of me.”
While marijuana was not a good fit for her, Kehlani doesn’t knock those who enjoy a puff or two. “I’m not judging the weed smokers!” she said. “Get it, girl.”
Kehlani is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
We can’t imagine what Fetty Wap and Turquoise Miami have been going through after it was shared that their four-year-old daughter, Lauren Maxwell, passed away. The co-parents both revealed the news after rumors about Lauren’s passing began to circulate, however, they haven’t shared a cause of death.
“This is my amazing ,beautiful , funny , vibrant, loving ,talented , smart, and hardheaded princess mermaid Aquarius,” Turquoise Miami wrote in the caption to an adorable video of Lauren. “If you see this post scrolling by with her comment or just say to yourself ‘ i love you LAUREN ‘ because they say that souls can feel your love #rip.”
Later, Fetty broke down on Livestream and people sent kind words and well wishes by the thousands. However, the internet can be unkind and the rapper later gave just one example of the heartless messages he’s received about his late daughter. Fetty uploaded a screenshot from an Instagram user who sent him a DM that reads, “How’s your n*gger daughter [crying laughing emojis].”
A quick search on Instagram shows that the account name has several different variations and it looks to be someone possibly using a stranger’s likeness to troll people on the internet. Fetty wrote, “This the weird sh*t. one of the main reasons I hated posting my children kause ppl like this … It’s kool though ima pray for you gang.”
The person behind the account has made multiple posts on different pages admitting to being responsible for the cruel message while also continuing to troll the rapper. Check it out below.
