It was just revealed last week that Dr. Dre has to pay his ex-wife Nicole Young $300,000 a month in spousal support following their recent divorce. In the meantime, his eldest estranged daughter has been homeless and living out her car, according to a report from DailyMail.
LaTanya Young, 38, works as a delivery driver for DoorDash and Uber Eats and as an assembler at a warehouse, but claims that she can’t afford an apartment in California and is living out of a rental vehicle.
LaTanya is the eldest daughter of Dr. Dre by 53-year-old Lisa Johnson. The couple broke up when LaTanya was just five years old, and she admits she has not seen her father in 18 years. She claims she doesn’t have his cell phone number, and has to communicate with him through his team.
The single mother-of-four told DailyMail.com that she has repeatedly asked her dad, who is said to be worth $800 million, for financial help but she has not received a penny in 18 months. She did say the kids are not living out the car though and are with friends. “My kids are staying with friends – they are not living in the car, it’s just me,” she said.
“I’m taking odd jobs just to make it now – I got paid $15 an hour as an assembler at the warehouse. I’m trying to keep my head above water. I’ve been in debt for a while.”
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LaTanya said she now fears she will lose her rental car as she has not been able to make payments. “The car is a pretty penny,” she said. “It’s an SUV that costs $2,300 for three weeks and I only paid for one week. Sooner or later they are going to take the car.”
LaTanya has been asking Dr. Dre’s lawyer for help but he has told her that since she has spoken about her father to the press in the past, he will not give her any money.
As lyrics videos and sites gain popularity among hip-hop fans looking to learn their favorite artists’ new songs, the disconnect between those artists’ intent and fans’ perceptions has become more starkly highlighted. In the old days, you just debated whether it was “five-two” or “fine too” among your friends. Now, though, fans like to post status updates and captions culled from their current jams, but then they run into problems when the sites they visit to learn the lyrics incorrectly transcribe them. As the problem becomes more common, many artists have begun to speak out.
In January, Doja Cat threatened to withhold her albumPlanet Her over incorrectly transcribed lyrics from her verse on Saweetie’s “Best Friend,” prompting fans to troll her with pictures of fish. Now, Tyler The Creator is taking matters into his own hands, posting all the lyrics from his new album Call Me If You Get Lost and politely — if loudly — requesting sites like Genius and DSPs like Apple Music to update their databases accordingly with an all caps tweet.
“YO @Genius AND @AppleMusic I POSTED THE LYRICS OF EVERY SINGLE SONG FROM CMIYGL ON TWITTER AND THE WEBSITE,” he wrote. “CAN YOU PLEASE HAVE SOMEONE UPDATE THEM BECAUSE WHOEVER TRANSCRIBED THEM ON YOUR SIDE IS INCORRECT, THANK YOU.”
For what it’s worth, Tyler posted the lyrics some two weeks ago when the album dropped, so there has been plenty of time to get the transcribers on it. Could having the artists post the transcribed lyrics themselves be the solution to the growing problem? Who knows, but you can bet rappers like Doja Cat and Tyler, who spend months making sure their rollouts are absolutely perfect, will probably continue calling out incorrect rhymes until there’s a major change.
50 Cent has eyes everywhere, and not unlike the majestic and mighty elephant, he forgets little to nothing. Having previously engaged in brief feuds with both Jadakiss and Cam’ron, not to mention Styles P and Jim Jones, it’s no surprise that he was actively tuned in to watch — or at least observe the fallout — of last night’s epic Verzuz battle between The LOX and Dipset.
Before the event concluded, a narrative had already taken shape — Jadakiss had solidified the position of MVP with a godlike performance, spitting bars without missing a beat. Hell, he even brought out a few freestyles from the vault, sealing the deal with a dominant rendition of “Who Shot Ya.” Suffice it to say, the people were captivated by Jada’s intensity, and crowned him the winner of the night with plenty of celebratory and damn near reverent memes.
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One in particular seemed to amuse 50 rather deeply, prompting the Power mogul to have a quick laugh on his Instagram page. Sharing an image of Jadakiss adorned in Cam’ron’s signature pink mink attire. “@jadakiss The LOX smoked @mr_camron DIPSET last night,” captions Fif, alongside the hilarious photoshop job. “LOL took his pink shit!”
Despite Cam’ron and Dipset having taken a near-unanimously-appointed loss, the group was quick to tip their hat to The LOX, with whom they are set to hit the road for the upcoming Rap Superheroes Tour. One has to wonder if the display of competitive spirit and camaraderie was enough to spark a surge of nostalgia in 50; perhaps, for even a fleeting moment, his finger hovered over Lloyd Banks’ contact page.
Check out 50 Cent’s day-after reaction to The LOX vs Dipset below, and sound off if you think Fif and G-Unit could stand a chance against the mighty D Block trifecta on the Verzuz stage.
Rather than waiting until New Music Friday, Young Nudy blessed his fans with a stacked 20-track project today. Titled Rich Shooter, Nudy’s latest effort arrives less than three months after his lauded May album DR. EV4L and days before the start of his upcoming DR. EV4L vs Rich Shooter Tourin Houston, Texas.
Rich Shooter features guest appearances from Gucci Mane, Future, 2FeetBino, 21 Lil Harold, and several other artists, yet one of the album’s most exciting new tracks actually features an Atlanta artist who remains the city’s best-kept secret: Peewee Longway. The project’s fifth track, titled “Know How I Rock,” sees the frequent collaborators reuniting on wax once again for an impressive new track.
Together, Nudy and Peewee skate over Coupe’s sinister production. Both Atlanta artists make it known that their street reputations should be taken seriously, with Nudy employing a more aggressive flow and Peewee evoking memories of Gucci Mane infamously murdering Jeezy’s associate in 2005.
Ain’t no face on the case call me Juwop No more bodies we searching for new opps Send your hitta, we murder like Guwop Send a blick with a blick, make em move out
Summer 2020 was packed full of mass frustration and racial reckoning, following months of quarantine and the tragic killing of George Floyd. When the November election loomed, anger and hate polarized America as tension built around beliefs regarding race and justice.
“Today we are incredibly thankful that Governor Mike Parson righted this wrong and granted us pardons,” Mark McCloskey said as he left the courthouse. He had plead guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault with a $750 fine and Patricia McCloskey plead guilty to misdemeanor harassment with a fine of $2000. The coupe and their legal team claim that the protestors were intent on harming the couple and their home, though Missouri prosecutor Richard Callahan reported that his investigation found the protestors were nothing but peaceful.
Still, McCloskey has no doubt he would act the same way again if the situation arose. “Any time the mob approaches me, I’ll do what I can to put them in imminent threat of physical injury because that’s what kept them from destroying my house and my family,” McCloskey said on the courthouse steps.
The entertainment business has made efforts to be more progressive, and today it is being reported that the Recording Academy is implementing a new process to encourage and ensure further diversity. Pitchfork confirms that for the first time in Grammy history, the 2022 ceremony will feature an inclusion rider, created in partnership with Color Of Change. The details of the rider are set to be unveiled publicly on September 16th.
In an official statement, the Recording Academy expressed its motivation behind implementing an inclusion rider for the upcoming Grammy Awards, which still faces its share of race-related controversy to this day. According to the statement, the rider will ensure that producers “recruit, audition, interview, and hire on-stage and off-stage people who have been historically and systematically excluded from the industry.”
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“We’re honored to work alongside Color of Change and the Inclusion Rider’s esteemed co-authors as we take this monumental step to ensure equitable industry standards that support a more diverse and inclusive music community,” says Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason. “As the Academy continues its transformational journey, diversifying our industry is at the core of every decision we make. We’re dedicated to fostering an environment of inclusion industry-wide and hope that our efforts set an example for our peers in the music community.”
It will be interesting to see the details of the first Grammy Award inclusion rider; we will be sure to keep you updated on that front. You may recall the term “inclusion rider” being used by Academy Award winner Frances McDormand during her Best Actress victory speech in 2018. Her words ultimately drew attention from the masses, and the conversation soon shifted to the impact inclusion riders have on production at large.
“As the Academy continues its transformational journey, diversifying our industry is at the core of every decision we make,” adds Mason. “We’re dedicated to fostering an environment of inclusion industry-wide and hope that our efforts set an example for our peers in the music community.”
T.I. was on vacation in Europe when found himself in a run-in with police officers. His interaction with the authorities was so tame, however, that he immediately took to social media to note the difference between American and European cops — even before getting in touch with his team to post bond.
T.I. was apparently enjoying himself on a bike ride in Amsterdam when he crashed into a police car. It’s not clear who was at fault for the accident, but the police’s mirror was a causality of the accident. After being detained on site and taken to the police station, T.I. whipped out his phone to share his experience with his Instagram followers. The rapper says he was never handcuffed or searched throughout the entire altercation:
“So, I’m locked up now. I’m obviously not supposed to have my phone as I’m biking, and because the policeman ran into me and broke his rear view[mirror], and because I didn’t have my passport on me. I don’t know, it’ll be fine. But he was extremely upset. I myself was having a great time, still. I’m still not upset. I’m having a phenomenal time. They arrested me and they didn’t even put me in handcuffs. They just opened the door and invited me to the backseat — I obliged. Let me see how I can make my bond right quick. They don’t take cash. I got cash in my pocket but they don’t seem to take this. I haven’t gotten handcuffs on me yet, they haven’t searched me, we working on the buddy system out here and I like it.”
This is far from the only legal matter T.I. is involved in as of late. The New York Timespublished an exposé back in February in which several women accused T.I. and his wife Tiny of sexual assault. The LAPD has now opened an investigation to into the reports, which span between 2005 and 2010. One accuser described being drugged and sexually assaulted in a hotel by the couple after repeatedly refusing their advances.
Back in early June, fans of Miami rap duo City Girls were delighted and bemused when Yung Miami — known affectionately as “Caresha” to her followers — was seen holding hands with 53-year-old rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs at Quality Control CEO Pierre “P” Thomas’ elegant birthday party. “Caresha” trended for nearly a full day as fans expressed their excitement and amusement at the potential pairing, pondering whether or not the two were really a couple.
Today, something similar is simmering as online sleuths work to get to the bottom of another post of the two rap stars hanging out — this one even more suggestive. Adding to the intrigue, Miami deleted the photo after just a few minutes, leading to increased speculation that the Miami-born rapper meant to share it exclusively with her “Close Friends” list on Instagram rather than her public Instagram Story.
Meanwhile, Diddy — who recently renamed himself to “Love” — has looked about as happy as a clam in recent months, including in a Vanity Fair cover story where he explained the meaning behind his newest moniker and revealed he’s working on starting an all-R&B label where he’ll split the profits with artists 50-50. As fans question whether there might be another hidden meaning behind the name, you can check out their responses below.
Yung Miami def meant that Diddy post for her close friends
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Phabo can’t fail at anything. That’s what the San Diego-born singer will tell you when you ask about his career, and it’s far from an egotistic or overly confident statement when you think about it. Failure is derived from expectations and in a world where anything can happen at any given moment, these hopes and beliefs can alter your progress, or the lack thereof at a given moment, to appear as if success lies further away than the horizons that stand in front of you. Luckily for the neo-soul-inspired singer, he learned to let go and let God when it came to his future.
“I’ve worked hard, God has allowed me to get to this point, so I know God wouldn’t allow me to get up there and fail for real, it’s not really a thing,” he says to me during a Zoom call. “I’m embracing the moment. Like I said, palms up. I’m embracing it for whatever it is, it’s fail-proof, I can’t fail.”
Our conversation comes shortly after Phabo released his debut album, Soulquarius. The new project is dipped in neo-soul gold — a genre that the singer holds near and dear to his heart — through 16 songs and features from Alex Vaughn, Destin Conrad, Mntra, and Rexx Life Raj. During a conversation with Uproxx, Phabo spoke about Soulquarius, his relationship with music and driving, and what he seeks the most for his career.
In your own words, because Soulquarius isn’t a new word (shoutout the Soulquarians), what does a Soulquarius mean to you?
Obviously, the end part is derived from Aquarius, with me being an Aquarius. I tie that in with my love for neo-soul music, the Soulquarians. I knew people would get that part, but deeper than that, it ties into everything that I stand for as well. It ties into astrology in terms of Polaris meaning my brand and stuff. It ties into following your North Star at all times. It’s a deeper meaning than “what’s your sign?” or whatnot, it’s not even like that or like me trying to do a carbon copy because I wasn’t trying to sound like it. I wasn’t trying to sound like that, I wanted to create my own sound but I still wanted that essence and that raw feeling to still be as if I recorded it at Electric Lady Studios in New York.
It’s clear that you’re very much affected and inspired by the neo-soul genre as a whole. From D’Angelo to Erykah Badu and everyone else that contributed to it, what pulled you into it the most?
So I was brought up around like a bunch of eclectic music. My dad wasn’t somebody who limited himself in terms of musicality because he was a songwriter too. My dad had a tape of affirmations and he had a tape of affirmative songs and it’d be the same five songs that would play every morning. Those five songs would be like Eric Benet’s “True To Myself,” Bobby McFerrin’s “Friends” was on there, and so on and so forth. Being able to read the lyrics, and I’m learning them at like six and seven, and just the different parts that go into that, it’s always been a feeling. I was able to understand spiritually what that meant and what that was and why I was tickling my gut right here when I listened to it, the chords when they do something. I can’t really explain it, I can’t put it in no other words other than you just know what it feels like when you hear it.
In a previous interview, you mentioned that you were ready to release Soulquarius years ago, but after an engineer took the masters with them on tour, you couldn’t drop it so we got your 2016 EP Free instead. Since then, how has Soulquarius and the story you aimed to tell grown, changed, or even stayed the same?
To be transparent, the only songs that remained from that project that was supposed to drop were “Beam,” “How’s My Driving?” [and] “Slippery.” Everything else was recorded after I thought that that project was done. It’s kind of crazy cause even in those moments where I was close to giving up, something would happen where God’s like, “Alright, he’s not getting it? We’re just here n****, chill.” The project changed a lot, but the integrity remained the same. Me and bro, that’s my brother, mind you, like I said, he did those three songs that I just named. We produced those, except for “Slippery,” but “How’s My Driving?” and “Beam” were with bro. He’s responsible for that noise that comes out right on “Beam,” he did all that. Nothing happens by chance and I’m grateful that we’re able to get to this point and I was grateful for all the changes that took place and the sound of it from then to now. If I listened to the original, what it was to be, as opposed to where we’re at now, it just sounds a little bit dated, so I’m grateful for it all.
I can assume this moment and all the frustrations that came with it were probably the hardest example of following your North Star right?
Yes, a million percent. Yeah, relinquishing all control to just the powers that be, like hands up, palms up. You’ll really take yourself through it, beating yourself up trying to force things to go a certain way at a certain time. I rushed that project to drop and then it’s like it’s just, yeah, no. I look back at how things could have been and I followed my North Star for sure, or the North Star led me. Like I said, I couldn’t even f*ck up if I wanted to, it wasn’t even happening. So I start getting to the point where I’m just talking to God every morning — moving with a different type of divine power. Even when I was f*cking it up, it wouldn’t [work]. Went to upload the joint, the joint bounced back, you know what I’m saying? Yeah, it’s divine bro.
There are a lot of songs and scenes that take place in a car on Soulquarius. There’s “LNF,” “S550,” and “How’s My Driving.” The sounds of an engine starting appear at the beginning of “Slippery.” What’s the relationship between music, cars, and driving for you?
Before it was Soulquarius, it was How’s My Driving?, that was the title of the project with “How’s My Driving” being the lead single on that project. I was born in San Diego, California, I moved to St. Petersburg, Florida when I was eight years old, then relocated to Long Beach when I was 16. I spent half of my junior year and senior year in Orange County completing high school, [then I] moved back to the heart of LA. I’m learning the culture out there, the backstreets to take, what not to say, all that stuff. All that is just like me maneuvering, working a full-time job, and I’m putting miles on my car just trying to make things happen. The way I made a name for myself on the writing side of things is me being available and dependable, and that comes with a lot of driving. All my ideas are coming to me on the road, I remember I used to write in between lights. I’d write at each stoplight on the way to the studio. I was on the road that much, I wasn’t at the crib, I would write like at a stoplight. LA, you could sit for a minute, so by the time I get to the studio, I got a song and it’s fresh because I just did it on the way here. The different routes that I took in life painted that picture for me.
You’ve done a lot of songwriting for artists like Kehlani, Kyle Doin & Jahkoy. What are some of the things you learned in this process that helped you grow as an artist as you were working on your own music?
Mars Today, he’s the homie, he’s a dope everything, I don’t even want to limit bro to anything he’s a creative, artist, producer, he got all that sh*t going. I remember early on, the first two artists I was writing for were Jahkoy and Kyle Dion. Before this, I kind of knew the structure of songs just based on what I was hearing on the radio and whatnot. When I went to write, that’s when I learned what each section was called. This the post, this the pre, we need this and we need that. Double that so it comes through [like this]. Everything has just happened to work hand-in-hand, there’s been nothing that’s been further along than anything. I feel like I was building on my artistry and my writing at the same time, always. I definitely learned more about the business from the writing side as well. How things work in terms of placing and whatnot. So in the future, when I do decide to work with other writers, I know how it works and how the business goes. I learned more of the business from the writer’s side than I did from the artist’s side for sure. On the artist side, there are still things that I’m learning.
Going off the point of you being a fairly new artist yourself, I wanted to ask: What are some artists that you’ve worked with, or that you’ve seen or interacted with, that you feel deserve more attention?
Destin Conrad, Ambré, let’s see, Jean Deaux [too]. It’s really like people that I rock with tough. I feel like Rexx Life Raj is another n**** that gets it. He understands life on a molecular level. It’s coming to him already, he’s already manifested it, but he’s one for sure. Really, AJ Saudin from Degrassi. He’s like — that’s scary because he can act and he’s in his R&B bag. We’re building that camaraderie to be able to get sh*t going. That’s a n**** I believe in 100% for sure. Lyfe Harris and Alex Vaughn [too].
We spoke earlier about just following your North Star. Wherever it leads you, you’re confident that it’s bringing you to a good place and somewhere that you can handle. However, if I could give you control for one moment, if there’s one thing that comes as a result of Soulquarius, what do you hope it is?
Longevity. I live by this principle that everybody gets like one earthquake in this game and everything after that is just maintaining the aftershocks. For me, I was kind of on the fence cause everybody wants to hold off this whole “album” word because it’s a game to [guess]. “Was it an album? Was that the one?” Nobody wants to bet on themselves and the labels don’t feel like these artists are ready to even say that yet. Following my North Star, I just went with whatever was coming naturally and what it felt like. It did not feel like an EP, it did not feel like a project. It felt like something that would set me up for the next 10-20 years. It felt like my Nostalgia, Ultra, it felt like my So Far Gone. I’ve seen some sh*t out here trying to finish this project, just trying to get this sh*t out. I know that shows and I know n****s feel that. I know the work that I put into this shows and I truly feel like this is the one, even with the next project’s success and the project after that’s success. This is gonna be the one that sets me up for the next 20 [years] to really run the game.
Soulquarius is out now via Soulection. Get it here.
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