Mach-Hommy Reflects On Political Turmoil In Haiti After President’s Assassination

It may not have made the cut for Complex‘s best albums of 2021 mid-year ranking, but Mach-Hommy’s Pray For Hati has received widespread critical acclaim since releasing earlier this summer, with Rolling Stone going as far as to call it “the best rap album since Young Thug’s Barter 6.” The Westside Gunn-executive produced album has even earned Mach-Hommy an insightful new interview with NPR, in which the enigmatic artist discusses the current political climate in Haiti.

For the unaware, Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse was brutally gunned down during an assassination earlier this month, and further investigations have revealed that the Columbians arrested in connection to Moïse’s murder reportedly received training from the United States military.

When discussing the new wave of turmoil that has swept over Haiti this month, Mach-Hommy addresses the cyclical nature of political chaos in Haiti, and he also touches on the emotional impact that it has over the Haitian-American rapper and other people like him.

“What’s going on right now is kind of like the norm for us, especially abroad, where, most of us, we send more than our prayers back home,” the Griselda artist explained. “A lot of our psychological energy and makeup is kind of like split between two places because we have to be where we are. But we also – we can’t leave where we come from. So I wasn’t really shocked by the recent events. This kind of theme is a recurring theme with our nation and our history in the Western Hemisphere.”

“To me, it’s a broken record that’s on repeat,” Mach-Hommy continues. “So when I call my family, it’s the same conversation. A lot of people are extremely depressed more than anything at the recent events.”

Listen to Mach-Hommy’s full NPR interview below.

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Lil Baby & Kirk Franklin Release “We Win” Video From “Space Jam 2: A New Legacy”

When it was announced that Lil Baby and Kirk Franklin had a song together on the Space Jam: A New Legacy soundtrack, people weren’t sure how the record would sound. The two artists have conflicting styles. However, if there’s one thing that Lil Baby has proven over the last few years, it’s that he can slide on any kind of record.

Despite the song’s gospel-leaning sound, Baby came through with a memorable display over the Just Blaze-produced track, which features a hook from Kirk Franklin. The gospel favorite, combined with Baby, has one of the most popular songs from the entire soundtrack, and on Wednesday morning, they teamed up to release the new music video.

Starting off with Kirk playing the piano and addressing the viewer, we quickly alternate between scenes of Lil Baby rapping on a basketball court, clips taken from Space Jam: A New Legacy, and footage of young ballers showing off their skills. 

Watch the new music video for “We Win” above and check out the official soundtrack here.

Latto Bodies All-Blue Vibes In These 5 Pics

Atlanta rapper and “The Rap Game” reality show tv alumni, Latto took the stage at Rolling Loud in a fire blue corset piece with matching thigh highs. Complete with a nail slay that coordinates so well even the late John Witherspoon himself might have approved. Here’s five looks at how she body-ody-ody’d in her fashion […]

Demi Lovato Calls Out DaBaby Over Harmful & Misleading HIV/AIDS Comments

DaBaby’s homophobic and misinformed HIV/AIDS comments at Rolling Loud have spread across the internet like wildfire, and fans, artists, and public figures alike have been publicly condemning his now-viral actions. Prior to performing a song, the BLAME IT ON BABY artist initiated what he deems a “call to action,” in which he prompted fans who “didn’t show up…with HIV/AIDS,” female fans whose “p*ssy smell like water,” and male fans who weren’t “sucking d*ck in the parking lot” to put their cellphone lighters in the air.

It’s confusing that DaBaby would think that those inconsiderate and homophobic comments would go over well with the crowd and eventually the internet, but according to him, it was all a part of his showmanship. However, that hasn’t stopped artists like Dua Lipa from expressing regret in working with him, and other public figures like Ts Madison have also publicly blasted him for his unwarranted and hateful on-stage rant. 

DaBaby performs on stage during Rolling Loud at Hard Rock Stadium on July 25, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Rich Fury/Getty Images

Now Demi Lovato, who recently came out as non-binary, has also called out the “Red Light Green Light Rapper.” With the simple caption “‘hot people listen to the original version of levitating,'” Demi Lovato reposted an Instagram infographic created by Matt Bernstein that addressed DaBaby’s Rolling Loud comments.

The nine-part post heavily criticizes DaBaby and popular culture’s homophobic take on HIV/AIDS with statements like “HIV is not a ‘gay’ disease” and “We need to crush the stigma around what HIV/AIDS is and what it isn’t.” Check out Demi Lovato’s full repost below.

While many people, DaBaby included, could learn a lot from Demi’s repost, it’s probably safe to say that the Grammy-nominated rapper may not take too kindly to Demi Lovato’s public criticism, as he recently sounded off against non-Black critics like Dua Lipa and others who don’t understand or routinely stand up for Black culture.

As more people catch wind of DaBaby’s jaw-dropping controversy, expect several more updates soon.

DaBaby Loses A Major Bag After Homophobic Rant At Rolling Loud

DaBaby is missing out on money-making opportunities because of his ignorant homophobic rant at Rolling Loud this weekend. Less than two months after his clothing line with boohooMan was announced, the fashion retailer has revealed that they have canceled the collection and will no longer be working with the rapper.

This comes on the heels of a massive outrage against DaBaby, who made insensitive and hateful comments against the LGBTQ+ community at a music festival and shamed his fans with HIV+ statuses. “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases, that’ll make you die in two to three weeks, then put your cellphone lighter up,” he said during the show. “Ladies, if your pussy smell like water, put your cellphone light in the air. Fellas, if you ain’t sucking dick in the parking lot, put your cellphone lighter up.”


Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

On Wednesday morning, boohooMan made the official announcement that they would no longer be working with DaBaby because of his rant.

“boohooMAN condemn the use of homophobic language and confirm we will no longer be working with DaBaby,” wrote the retailer on Instagram. “Diversity and inclusion are part of the boohoo Groups DNA and we pride ourselves on representing the diverse customers we serve across the globe. We stand by and support the LGBTQ+ community, and do not tolerate any hate speech or discrimination in any form.”

Additionally, Dua Lipa stated that she was “horrified” to watch DaBaby’s rant, distancing herself from her “Levitating” collaborator. Demi Lovato has also issued a statement, sharing information about HIV and AIDS and dragging DaBaby in her caption.

Lupe Fiasco Tackles A Jadakiss & Styles P Classic On “Whale Wit”

Lupe Fiasco has been a busy man of late, having recently engaged in a spirited war-of-the-words with his former podcast co-host Royce Da 5’9″. For those who can appreciate a bit of good-old-fashioned lyrical jousting, look no further than our complete breakdown of their battle right here. Evidently, Lupe appears to have moved beyond a second round, keeping his blade sharp with a new freestyle.

Set to Alchemist’s classic instrumental — Jadakiss and Style P’s “We Gon Make It” — Lupe puts on an absolute clinic while making it look almost alarmingly easy. “I preface breakfast with prayer, end a dinner with death wish / wake up with no regrets, they sit us in for the seconds,” he raps, before letting out a Pusha-T esque grunt of disgust. 

“Himalaya –never met a better climb,” he continues, setting up a crazy scheme. “Kick, Push” schooled them on the coast like Pepperdine.” Clearly, Lupe is gunning to rap, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him increasing the frequency of his new music while the bloodlust remains high. 

Check out his latest freestyle now, and sound off if you’re eager for a new Lupe Fiasco album.

QUOTABLE LYRICS

I’m a cool spot, 
But what happens if me and Visuvious mood swap?
I’m Kubrick with two plots
If I let my role talk, you’ll still get your school rocked
Himalaya –never met a better climb
“Kick, Push” schooled them on the coast like Pepperdine

Yungeen Ace Advises Young People To Stay Out Of The Streets

Jacksonville, Florida rapper Yungeen Ace knows all about the perils of street life. Three years ago, he nearly lost his life in a drive-by shooting, which killed his brother and two of his friends. That’s just the tip of the iceberg with Ace, who has lived through harrowing amounts of trauma in the last few years. Right now, he’s losing out on opportunities because of the police, claiming that they’re canceling all of his local shows because of rap beef and potential threats of violence. As a result, Ace seems to be growing tired of street life, advising young folks to stay out of the streets if they can.

Taking to Twitter a week ago, the 23-year-old rapper sent an important message to his followers, telling his younger fans to keep out of the streets.

“Everybody I love dead or in jail,” he wrote. “Being in da streets got more DOWNS then it is ups [100 emoji] For all the young People Coming up I know it’s Hard Bt try yo Best to Stay OUT the Streets [100 emoji].”

Recently, Yungeen Ace has been involved in a violent feud with fellow Jacksonville rapper Foolio. They’ve both taken shots at one another with diss records, but their beef has quieted down in the last few weeks. During an exclusive interview with us, he spoke about the police presence in Florida, how officers seemingly have a vendetta against rappers, and more. Read the full interview here.

Soulja Boy Drops Off New Album “Big Draco”

Off the top, it’s hard to recall if Soulja Boy is the first rapper to release an album on Wednesday, July 28th — but it’s likely that he’ll take credit for doing so all the same. Today marks the arrival of his new Big Draco album, which also happens to be landing on Soulja’s thirty-first birthday. Is he the first rapper to release an album on his thirty-first birthday? Let’s go with yes.

Released independently through his own SODMG record label, the twelve-track Big Draco features guest appearances from Bow Wow, Omarion, Desiigner, and Tadoe. The first rapper to assemble such a lineup on a twelve-track album? How does this man keep setting new trends? Despite clocking in at a dozen songs, Soulja’s Big Draco runtime is a mere twenty-six minutes. For the most part, every song is under three minutes, save for the album’s longest track “Trappin So Hard.”  

Musically, Soulja Boy opts to remain comfortably in his wheelhouse, taking to hard-hitting bangers and flexing to his heart’s content. While it’s unlikely that skeptics will find themselves converted by Big Draco, he wouldn’t be the first rapper (much to his annoyance, no doubt) to find success by sticking to his script. A surefire treat for longtime fans, Soulja’s latest album feels like a worthy addition to his catalog, appropriate given how adamantly he’s claimed dominion over the name. 

Check out Big Draco now and sound off below — will you be keeping this one on rotation?