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Mick Jenkins has been quiet since delivering his excellent EP The Circus at the beginning of 2020. At the time, he revealed to us that it was meant to act as a prelude to a larger conceptual project, though the Chicago lyricist ultimately hit the delay button on that particular endeavor.

Since then, he’s been biding his time and plotting his return, keeping the skills sharp with the occasional guest appearance. Now, at the moment the game needed him most, Mick has officially set a date for his comeback. Taking to Twitter to tease an upcoming single, Jenkins appears to be spitting bars with a vengeance, his dense style among the most unique hip-hop has to offer. 

 Peter Van Breukelen/Redferns/Getty Images

Though only fifteen seconds long, Jenkins is in fine form over a hard-hitting instrumental. “It was Goyard totes and Carhartt Tees,” he spits. “The Coldplay carpet round my feet / the Dolce scarf is round my face, forgot my mask–” Jenkins lets out a frustrated “FUCK” as the snippet comes to an end. It sounds like he’s gearing up to really go in, and we won’t have to wait much longer to hear the full track.

“June 23rd,” captions Jenkins, signaling that a rollout is about to kick off. We can only hope that Jenkins uses the opportunity to shine a light on his next full-length album, as his previously-teased Circus follow-up certainly sounded interesting. If you’re looking for a little more from Jenkins ahead of the big release, be sure to revisit our previous interview with the lyricist — who declared himself to be “Top 5 With The Pen.”

Florida rapper 9lokkNine was reportedly arrested this week on RICO and racketeering charges. He is reportedly being held on a $750,000 bond. 

This is the latest in a string of legal difficulties involving the Florida rapper. This year, the Cash Money-affiliated rapper was arrested on five counts of attempted murder. He was seemingly released a few months after his arrest before being arrested again on RICO charges. According to the legal documents, 9lokkNine was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering charges. 

The 21-year-old may not be able to find a way out of this one. RICO charges are very serious — we’ve seen everybody from Tekashi 6ix9ine, Casanova, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, and others get locked up on racketeering charges. 9lokkNine has a long criminal history and as a repeat offender, the court likely will not go easy on him. We will continue to keep you updated as more information is released.

9lokkNine is best known for the hit record “223’s” with YNW Melly. He has been compared to the likes of Kodak Black, making a lot of noise around Florida as one of the brightest rising stars from the Sunshine State. Hopefully, he can get this situation sorted out so he can continue to make his dreams come true.

In just a month from now, some of the best athletes in the world will be headed to Tokyo, Japan for the Summer Olympics. The best players in the NBA will be representing their countries and it should lead to some incredible basketball. Over the past couple of days, superstars like Kevin Durant and James Harden have all committed themselves to the team, while the likes of Steph Curry have been at home contemplating their next move.

After weeks of going back and forth, Curry has decided to not pursue the Olympics and instead, prepare for next season with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have missed two straight postseasons and it’s clear that Curry wants to turn the tide and bring the Warriors back to prominence. 

For some players, the Olympics pose too much of a risk as there is potential to get badly injured. No one wants to have their season messed up because of an injury in a tournament that took place outside of the NBA’s jurisdiction, and Curry’s latest decision is further proof of that.

Despite Curry’s absence, the U.S. Olympic team is poised to be the tournament’s favorite and there will certainly be some superstar talent headed to Japan. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see who else Team USA is able to secure, and whether or not more players will side with Curry.

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Polo G and Migos just faced off in a battle for the #1 spot on the Billboard 200, which was awarded to the Chicago rapper after a solid first week of sales for his third studio album Hall Of Fame. Beating out Migos’ Culture III album, the Atlanta-based trio ended up at the #2 spot with a strong first week, setting the tone for the next week of new music.

After getting two potential AOTY contenders a few weeks ago, hip-hop fans had more to listen to this weekend with new music from Gucci Mane, YSL Records’ Unfoonk, newcomer Dro Kenji, GoldLink, and more being released. Every week, our editorial staff mulls over our favorite drops of the last few weeks, shining a light on our personal playlist picks for a complete look at what we’ve been listening to from our home offices. After Friday’s releases, you’ll see a few common themes from each of our editors with H.E.R. having a pretty popular album, Migos still dominating after a week, and the new singles from Vince Staples and Isaiah Rashad earning multiple picks on the latest playlist update.

This week’s playlist starts off with Tyler, The Creator’s new single “LUMBERJACK” before leading into more of the new music that was released last week, including picks from Kodak Black, Don Toliver, OMB Bloodbath, and more.

Check out all of our individual selections below and let us know who has the best taste in music. 

Alex Zidel (Editorial)

Unfoonk & Young Stoner Life – Bait Em In (feat. Lil Keed)
Kodak Black – Feelin’ Peachy
Dro Kenji – SUPERSTAR
Migos – New Money
Polo G – Bloody Canvas

Alex Cole (Editorial)

Don Toliver – Drugs N Hella Melodies (feat. Kali Uchis)
H.E.R. – We Made It
H.E.R. – Trauma (feat. Cordae)
H.E.R. – Bloody Waters
H.E.R. – Paradise (feat. Yung Bleu)

Cole Blake (Editorial)

Tyler, The Creator – LUMBERJACK
Little Simz – Rollin Stone
Vince Staples – LAW OF AVERAGES
GoldLink – Raindrops (feat. Flo Milli)
H.E.R. – Trauma (feat. Cordae)

Erika Marie (Editorial)

H.E.R. – Find A Way (feat. Lil Baby)
Isaiah Rashad – Headshots (4r Da Locals)
Vince Staples – LAW OF AVERAGES
Travie McCoy – A Spoonful of Cinnamon

Rose Lilah (Editorial)

Ruth B. – Sweet Chamomile
H.E.R. – Bloody Waters
Vince Staples – LAW OF AVERAGES
Migos – Jane

Mitch Findlay (Editorial)

Isaiah Rashad – Headshots (4r Da Locals)
Migos – Working A Fool
Tyler, The Creator – LUMBERJACK

Aron A. (Editorial)

Tyler, The Creator – LUMBERJACK
Gucci Mane – Top Of Shit (feat. 2 Chainz & Young Dolph)
Migos – New Money
Kojey Radical – 2FS
Portion – Ties

Joshua Robinson (Editorial)

Tyler, The Creator – LUMBERJACK
Vince Staples – LAW OF AVERAGES
KyleYouMadeThat – Poof Be Gone (feat Yung Baby Tate, YVETTE, and Cheerlebridee)
OMB Bloodbath – Don’t Do It
Migos – Menace

The release of Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” didn’t receive the same warm welcome as “Old Town Road” but that was largely due to the music video. The rising pop star faced backlash among conservative pundits and right-wing groups, among others, for giving the devil a lapdance and then, releasing the infamous Satan shoes. 

Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images

Lil Nas X sat down with Desus & Mero where they discussed the backlash he received from the video for “Montero” where he was being accused of being a negative influence on the youth. “I really just wanted to corrupt the youth — I’m kidding,” he told Desus & Mero who reminded him that there were far worse images on television in the 90s.

“Even when I was planning the video, I was like, ‘Oh, this is definitely going to hit Fox News,'” Lil Nas X said. “I definitely didn’t expect the outrage as much as it was at all, especially like, governors tweeting me…. It’s like, you don’t have anything better to do?”

As for the controversial sneakers, Lil Nas X explained that he didn’t realize that it would cause a massive storm on social media. He said that it was only meant for his fans who he believed would be the only people interested in purchasing the exclusive sneaker. 

“I don’t think anyone actually returned them,” Lil Nas X said of Nike’s cease-and-desist letter. “I can’t even get any more for my siblings and stuff, and so that sucks with the cancellation and what not, but I got my own pair so that’s good.” 

Check out the full interview below. 

Meek Mill’s recent freestyles has been a promising indication of where he’s going with his next album. It’s been nearly three years since the release of Championships, his first project after his last bid in prison. The anticipation was high, and Meek certainly delivered on expectations. However, he’s been hinting at its follow-up for a few years now without dropping a heap of music.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Last month, the rapper returned with his latest drop, “Flamers Flow” and its video which included a cameo from Bobby Shmurda. Given their mutual affinity for Jahlil Beats’ production, it seems inevitable that they’d be locking in the studio.

Earlier today, Meek hit the ‘Gram with a brand new clip of a recent studio session he had where Bobby Shmurda and his fellow Shmigo compadre, Takeoff, were in attendance. While the production wasn’t handled by Jahlil Beats, DJ Durel slid through with a massive stadium-ready beat for Meek and Bobby to rip through. 

The recently slew of releases from Meek seems to be a promising sign that a new album is on the way. Ross recently revealed that the entire MMG family is putting in work towards their forthcoming studio albums including his two star pupils. “Everybody’s cooking up right now. Everybody in the studio is working on their projects—Meek, Wale,” Ross told Complex News.

Check the snippet below. Are you excited for new music from Meek?