Rising R&B star June3rd is leaving an impression with the release of his new body of work, JEMENI. It marks June’s official debut album, one that fans have been longing for. The 13-song project largely consists of stellar solo performances from June, and rightfully so. His debut album truly captures his raw artistry at its best, though he does bring on a few collaborators for the tracklist.
Rick Ross makes an appearance on one of the immediate highlights off of the project, “Friends.” Dream Addix delivers lush, atmospheric trap production that’s tailored for June’s rap-sing flow. Meanwhile, Rick Ross slides through with an effortless verse detailing his lust for cash.
Peep the highlight off of June3rd’s debut album below and sound off with your thoughts in the comments.
Quotable Lyrics Cuzzo told me love is love ‘Til I really met the plug That day all the numbers changed I’m talkin’ cellphones and them thangs She rockin’ with the biggest, skip the dinner date I got Bobby Brown snortin’ off of dinner plates
There’s a new voice shining in the R&B scene right now by the name of June 3rd. The Florida-born artist has been buzzing over the past six years since the debut of his single, “Thirsty.” Today, he delivers his official debut album, JEMINI. Playing off of the horoscope, the singer’s new follows his journey and the highs and the lows of his professional and personal life.
“JEMENI came together originally from my name being June3rd and everyone assuming that it’s my birthday and that I’m an actual Gemini. Then from there, JEMENI became much more than a title. It became a character and symbolic of a different side/personality of me. We all have those different sides to us. Throughout the album, you’ll hear a roller coaster of different emotions and mindsets that change throughout me being young and figuring out life and what I want out of it,” June said in a statement.
The project includes features from Rick Ross and FRIDAYY. Check it out below.
Paul Wall and Bubba Sparxxx have rightfully earned their place in Hip-Hop’s anthology.
Yet, those respective places were put to the test early on Tuesday (July 27th) when one Twitter user questioned whether or not Wall and Sparxxx’s legacy as white rappers in the pantheon of Southern Hip-Hop would bear the same impact and acceptance in today’s landscape.
It was a veiled reference to today’s cancel culture and a perceived lack of authenticity from the rappers per the user’s perspective which seemed to fuel the tweet in the first place and what followed was, by and large, a resounding defense of both men (especially Paul Wall) and their catalogs and contributions to Hip-Hop.
Naturally, the tweet fueled comparisons to prominent white rappers of today including Jack Harlow, Post Malone, the late Mac Miller, and in even more extreme cases, Bhad Babie.
Many resorted to evidence that Paul Wall has long been embedded in Hip-Hop and Black culture from the, citing his credibility in Houston and throughout Texas. By and large, of course, their arguments were backed by a cluster of catalog picks. For Bubba Sparxxx, “Ms. New Booty” was in abundance. As for Wall, picks included his verses on cuts like Kanye West’s “Drive Slow,” Mike jones’ “Still Tippin,” and Nelly’s “Grillz.” And who could forget his popularization of the accessory of the same name?
“Paul Wall is loved in Texas. Paul Wall is a legend in Texas. Paul Wall will always be accepted in Texas,” writes one user.
“I have it on good authority that Paul Wall is good in any ward in Houston,” writes another.
“I don’t think it’s social climate,” wrote another user in Wall’s defense. “Paul Wall was just a dope artist whose music resonated with alot of folks. I can’t speak on Bubba Sparxxx. If you’re white and you don’t fake the funk in your music, black folks will approve. That’s why Mac Miller is so adored.”
Is it possible that today’s “social climate” would hinder Paul Wall’s image as opposed to the 90s and 2000s when social media wasn’t yet commonplace and opinions were more differentiated? Sound off with your thoughts below.
There are plenty of reasons why Rolling Loud Miami continues to be a topic of social media conversations but DaBaby has been the most noteworthy in the days that have followed the festival. Over the weekend, DaBaby stormed the Rolling Loud stage with Tory Lanez as a surprise guest, and while that was a moment that fans were shocked by, it was his remarks about HIV/AIDS and men performing oral sex that confused, and angered, the public.
Later, DaBaby defended his remarks by saying his live audience enjoyed themselves while offering a distasteful take on the general response to his concert comments. “Even my gay fans don’t got f*cking AIDS…they don’t got AIDS,” said the rapper. “My gay fans, they take care of theyself, they ain’t going for that…they ain’t no junkies. I said if you ain’t sucking d*ck in the parking lot, put your cellphone light up. You know what my gay fans did? Put that motherf*ckin light up.
Jamie McCarthy / Staff / Getty Images
“My gay fans ain’t going for that. They got class.” DaBaby’s collaborator Dua Lipa came forward to condemn his statements, saying she was “horrified” by his words. “I really don’t recognize this as the person I worked with,” said the singer. “I know my fans know where my heart lies and that I stand 100% with the LGTBQ community. We need to come together to fight the stigma and ignorance around HIV/AIDS.”
Following this latest update, DaBaby offered yet another response, once again doubling down on his comments while recognizing that a certain group has a right to be angered. “I tell fans to put a cellphone light in the air y’all start a million man March,” he said. “I told you y’all digested that wrong but I ain’t gone lie I’m impressed. Now show this same amount of support when a racist cop kill one of our black ass…YA NOT.”
“Anybody who done ever been effected by AIDS/HIV y’all got the right to be upset, what I said was insensitive even though I have no intentions on offending anybody. So my apologies But the LGBT community… I ain’t trippin on y’all, do you. y’all business is y’all business,” DaBaby continued. “[And] for any brands, networks, or artists that like to profit off of black rappers influence on the culture, without understanding it or having the patience to deal with what comes with the position we play in our culture. Keep yo money next time us ‘N*GGAS’ human too.”
The streets have been screaming “Free NBA Youngboy” ever since he was arrested earlier this month as part of a police sting. The rapper was arrested this past spring as part of a sting called “Operation Never Free Again.” Unfortunately, the rapper is being held in custody without bail and his latest effort to be released certainly didn’t work in his favor.
Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
According to AllHipHop, a judge has, once again, shut down NBA Youngboy’s attempt to be released from prison. This time, it comes off the heels of federal prosecutors presenting the court with unflattering photos of NBA Youngboy appearing to carry firearms on the set of a music video and in a photo with a 10-year-old fan.
The rapper’s legal team appealed the judge’s April decision to revoke his appeal. At the time, the judge said that Youngboy was a threat to society. United States Magistrate Judge Scott D. Johnson hasn’t budged on his stance, saying in his recent ruling that “no condition or combination of conditions would reasonably assure the safety of the community,” per AllHipHop.
The judge explained that the evidence to back the charges was enough to keep the rapper locked up and support the prosecutor’s argument. Additionally, Judge Scott D. Johnson also stated that Youngboy’s evading police makes him “inclined towards reckless illegal and dangerous behavior.”
At long last, the Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailer has arrived with a November release date in tow.
After numerous delays attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sony Pictures has unveiled the first look at the film which will act as the official sequel to the franchise that ran from 1984 to 1989.
Director Jason Reitman sits at the helm with the series’ original director Ivan Reitman as a producer while McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard star in the new film.
“My father and I are extraordinarily close,” said Jason of working with his father on the piece. “It was the great bonding experience of my life with the director that I admire most, my father.”
Afterlife will mark a departure from the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot altogether and will likely appease fans who once voiced dissatisfaction with the remake at the time.
“From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman, comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe,” reads the film’s official synopsis. “In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. The film is written by Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan.”
The movie will officially arrive in theaters on November 11th.
New York rapper Bobby Shmurda doesn’t know how to feel. In a new interview, he revealed freedom sometimes leaves him a little confused months after being released from prison. Bobby Shmurda Doesn’t Know What To Feel After spending over six years behind bars, Shmurda says he doesn’t know how to feel about freedom. While it’s […]
Now, Dua Lipa herself has weighed in on the situation, letting her fans know that she’s personally “surprised and horrified” by the rappers comments. “I’m surprised and horrified,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories today. “I know my fans know where my heart lies and that I stand 100 percent with the LGBTQ community. We need to come together to fight the stigma and ignorance around HIV/AIDS.”
Instagram
Listen, since there’s already been not one but two remixes of “Levitating” — the now defunct one with DaBaby, and the Club Future Nostalgia version with Madonna and Missy Elliott — it’s time to make a third. Give the fans what they want, replace DaBaby with a verse from Megan on a brand new version. And then all the proceeds to go the ACLU to help combat ignorance on the subject. It’s a perfect plan.
West coast rapper and weed legend Berner went from spitting on tracks with other California weed rap icons like Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, and B-Real to founding one of the world’s biggest cannabis brands and retail spaces, Cookies. Now, the rapper-turned-entrepreneur has his sights set on developing the best cannabis rolling papers that a stoner could ever long for. Developed over a three-year process, Berner “put a lot of shit in my lungs to find the right paper.” That dedication shows with his newly released VIBES.
Available in four varieties — including Organic Hemp, Hemp, Ultra-Thin, and Rice — VIBES presents different rolling papers geared towards specific needs. That level of care and attention to detail ensures your joint comes out a bit better than it would with your standard zags.
“It just compliments the herb,” Berner says, “and that’s what our whole mission is. We want to make the ultimate experience when it comes to blazing. We took our time to find the right resources, to find the right materials, to find the right paper… it’s stuff not in the market.”
You might not think all that’s totally necessary, and if you’re a casual smoker you’re unlikely to notice a major difference in the experience. But if your preferred smoking method is the classic joint, you’re going to want that fine attention to detail. I’ve tried out both the Rice and Organic Hemp VIBE papers and the Rice has quickly become my go-to, anytime I’m rolling a joint. I don’t use a roller, I grind up my weed and roll it myself and the texture of the Rice VIBE keeps the stickiest weed from becoming a hassle to roll. It’s a hack I didn’t know I needed!
This week, I linked up with Berner to talk about VIBES’ new products, how bud-tending has changed for the worse, and his secrets to rolling a perfect joint.
Cookies
Why do we need a better rolling paper at all?
I’ve been smoking cannabis for over 22 years, maybe as long as 25 years. In that time, people like Raw came to the table and brought quality rolling papers and educated the market on the difference between materials in the paper, what makes paper special, and what compliments the flavor of herb. All that time, being a connoisseur, understanding what was in the market gave me a chance to understand what wasn’t in the market.
When we came out with the Ultra-Thin VIBES and now with the Organic Hemp VIBES, that quality of paper is just next level. How thin it is, how clean it is, how pure it is. We took our time to find the right resources, to find the right materials, to find the right paper, and also come up with some innovative SKUs like the Cubano; the Cali, which we are dropping soon — it’s stuff not in the market and that’s what we’re working focusing on right now.
What makes a rolling paper perfect?
My thinking is it all starts with what you’re smoking. What makes a perfect paper to me is pairing it with the perfect herb. Certain bud I’ll get that’s extremely flavorful, it’s perfectly cured, I’ll put it in a Hemp VIBE knowing it’s not tough to roll. That’s the biggest thing, how is your rolling experience going to be? That’s why we have our different SKUs.
For instance, our rice paper is for that stickier, thicker, crazier herb that’s just gonna be a problematic roll. The paper is just a little thicker, it burns a little better with a stickier bud. And Ultra-Thin and the Organic Hemp is perfect for that connoisseur head sesh that you tuck away and hide for yourself. For me, it’s all about pairing.
COOKIES
I know you have your history as a Bay Area bud tender. Has bud tending changed for the better or worse? These days there is a lot less interaction because of prepackaged products.
For the most part, it’s changed for the worse — because everything is on a screen. You wait in line, you look on a menu, and pick what you want. But at the Cookies store we tried to implement some of that old school 215 vibe, that’s why when you come into our stores you have a dedicated budtender that sits with you through the whole experience, helps you look at things, that’s why we have the jars on top of the table, we’ve designed those custom for you to pick up and smell the bud and look at it. Fully transparent, not like some of those square jars out there.
When you’re done with the experience they send you to the cashier, and the cashier’s sole purpose is to ring you up, but that personal experience with the budtender, we try and keep that there. And its cool to be able to implement that in all our stores around the world because we don’t want that shit to go away.
As a budtender, you use to be able to open up a jar, let people smell it, even give them a bong hit if they weren’t sure they wanted to buy it and that’s missing big time. It’s changed for the worse but we’re trying to keep that vibe alive.
Walk us through the steps for how to roll the perfect joint
First step is you need the best bud possible. You need something you like and enjoy, if you’re gonna smoke you might as well do it right, start off with the best bud you can find that fits you and your body.
Second, you’ll need a tool like our Santa Cruz Shredder — the teeth are designed by a NASA engineer, it’s next level, it’s produced here in the US. I’ve been using our hemp shredders and that gives you the perfect fluff. You need to grind it right, you don’t want to be left with chunks or dust, there is a fine balance. You get the perfect bud, shred it to give it the perfect fluff.
I take a tip and put it in a cylinder, I take an Ultra-Thin VIBE or my Organic Hemp VIBE and I roll that bitch nice and loose. I like it nice and loose for air flow, I hate a pregnant joint. A tight joint that you have to hit hella hard is a bad joint. I want to pull on it softly and get nice rips, so a perfect joint is all about airflow!
