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Mike Dean has been producing, mixing, and mastering Kanye West’s music for years now, having originally connected after Yeezy heard Dean’s mix on Scarface’s “Guess Who’s Back.” Since then, he has contributed to the majority of Ye’s catalog, including his favorite of the bunch, Yeezus. 

Now, he’s once again been tapped to handle business behind the boards for the upcoming Donda, which is currently projected for an early August release. Though that wasn’t always the case, as the project was originally slated to drop on July 23rd. In a turn of events not entirely dissimilar to the pre-Ye rollout of the Surgical Summer, Dean was left scrambling to mix and master the album in time for its big release.

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Perhaps unsurprisingly, Donda was pushed back, giving Mike Dean a larger window to finish up. Essentially diving headlong into his work, many fans were quick to note that the generally active producer had gone quiet on social media. Before long, an outlandish narrative formed in which Dean was being held hostage by Kanye West, to the point where Dean himself took a moment to address the “concerned” parties.

“Thank you for your concern,” he recites, in a deadpan voice. In another similar message, he addresses his Twitter followers directly. “Twitter, everything is okay,” he says. “I am fine. I am working. And I am fine.” Of course, that didn’t stop some from suggesting that he’s being held at gunpoint — but the internet will do what it does and there’s really no stopping it. 

Check out Mike Dean’s reassuring message below, and rest easy knowing that Mike Dean is safe and sound, doing what he loves at that. Look for his work on Donda to hit streaming platforms early August, provided Kanye holds to his intended release schedule. For more from Mike Dean, check out our recent interview with the legendary producer right here. 

DaBaby has fully invested himself in becoming the biggest hip-hop villain in the country, sharing his homophobic views and doubling down with multiple disrespectful comments this week. Over the weekend, the rapper shamed his fans living with HIV and AIDS, as well as his gay fans, by calling them out during the Rolling Loud festival. He attempted to justify his comments by claiming that his gay fans aren’t the “nasty” ones with AIDS. Then, he released a music video at the height of the controversy to capitalize.

As he continues to be a major trending topic on social media with people attempting to cancel him, DaBaby has outdone himself again. Previously, his “Levitating” collaborator Dua Lipa addressed his homophobia and said she was “horrified” over his comments. That prompted the Charlotte native to “like” a series of shady tweets about their song, including posts that suggest that the track is only popular because of his feature.

 
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“@DUALIPA soooo when you gonna remove that remix with @DaBabyDaBaby?! We waiting…” tweeted one fan of Dua’s, which DaBaby liked. “Patiently waiting for @DUALIPA to pull her song with @DaBabyDaBaby off streaming services,” shared another, which ended up in Baby’s likes. 

The one that people are talking about the most reads, “It’s funny how @DUALIPA song levitating is only number 1 because @DaBabyDaBaby is on it. You’re welcome. Because I deadass only heard of you because of Dababy.”

Dua Lipa has been culturally relevant for a minute, having an incredible Grammy campaign last year with her album Future Nostalgia. Check out some of DaBaby’s liked tweets about her below.

Fresh off an epic performance at Rolling Loud this past weekend, Travis Scott continues to build even more hype around his brand with his latest highly coveted sneaker drop. Just three months after releasing the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 6 “British Khaki,” Cactus Jack is back with an even more mind-blowing release. Teaming up with Fragment and Hiroshi Fujiwara, the Astroworld rapper has taken reimagined his original mocha-colored Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG as a Fragment x Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 collaboration.

Travis Scott’s white, blue, and black Fragment x Air Jordan 1 High OG colorway releases today, but prior to its official drop, Travis has unveiled a new apparel collection to coincides with his anticipated new sneaker release.

Ranging from $24 to $925, Travis Scott’s collaborative apparel collection with “Fragment By Hiroshi Fujiwara” boasts a pretty varied assortment of items, from typical merch items like tee-shirts to eccentric novelty items like custom lighters and rugs. Other than the nearly $1,000 letterman jacket, the most eye-catching products in the apparel collection are KAWS x Cactus Jack x Fragment pieces. 

Essentially a collaboration within another collaboration, the three-way styled long sleeve and short sleeve tees run for a modest $88 and $58, respectively, especially considering that a Travis Scott, Fragment, and KAWS “Original Fake” collab is unbelievably rare.

Check out the full apparel collection below.

Are you looking forward to an inevitable “L” from the forthcoming sneaker release? Or are you remaining optimistic that you’ll be able to get your hands on a pair of the Travis Scott x Fragment Air Jordan 1 Highs? Regardless of whether you luck up on the High Jordan 1 model, the Air Jordan 1 Low OG Travis Scott for Fragment will be on sale globally Friday, August 13th.