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Drake is slated to receive the Artist of the Decade Award at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, and right before Drizzy’s momentous occasion this weekend, it appears that one of the music industry’s favorite new artists has challenged the Toronto artist’s Hip-Hop dominance.

According to Hip-Hop Lately, DaBaby currently has a boatload of monthly Spotify listeners, and it turns out that he even more than Drake. Yes, DaBaby currently boasts 53,819,556 monthly listeners on Spotify, which dupes Champagne Papi’s loyal 52,2349,404 monthly listeners by nearly 1.6 million.

For context, Drake has released five singles, including huge tracks like “Laugh Now Cry Later” and “What’s Next,” since dropping off Dark Lane Demo Tapes last May. In the same time frame, DaBaby has shared the beefed-up deluxe version of Blame It On Baby, the seven-track EP My Brother’s Keeper (Long Live G), and his 2021 single “Masterpiece.”

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Journalists and Hip-Hop personalities such as Charlamagne Tha God and Everyday Struggle’s Wayno have recently argued that Drake’s reign over the music industry is nearing its end, and this news definitely gives context and ultimately boosts the validity of their argument. 

Do you think this is a sign that DaBaby and his contemporaries are on pace to outshine Drake in the coming years? Or will none of this even matter when the 6 God finally releases Certified Lover Boy?

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A quick scroll down the “Foolish” singer-songwriter’s Instagram shows she has been thoroughly enjoying the decreased travel restrictions. Following plenty of photos Ashanti chose to share from her April trip with friends to Cancun, the star headed to Kenya for the month of May.

One of Ashanti’s stops was the IG-famous Giraffe Sanctuary in Nairobi. In her latest photo shared on Monday, Ashanti holds a smile and model-esque pose while feeding a giraffe with her bare hand, as the giraffe’s neck swoops down in front of her for an impressive view. She wears a For the Stars Fashion House sheer long yellow gown, elevated by sequins and a high leg slit. 

Hip hop Blogger @itzbitzkitt commented “U brave Sis” and @pjkev commented “You been everywhere” to which the star responded, “lol yolo.” The photo has accumulated over 200,000 likes in one day due its aesthetic and awe-provoking qualities.

Last week, the star also shared shots from another photoshoot at Nairobi National Park, highlighting even more of her vacation. In one, she poses in a Chanel shirt and Dior pants among the gorgeous landscape of trees along a trail. 

While she is on vacay, for now, Ashanti was hard at work earlier in the year. She released her single “2:35 (I want u)” in January with the #iwantyouchallenge. With the upcoming 20th anniversary of her debut album coming in 2022, too, she hinted at the production of new music on her Instagram. In early May, she posted a picture of her at a New York recording studio, The Mix Palace.

Check out Ashanti’s Nairobi adventures, including her giraffe friend, below.

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There have been some incredible Air Jordan 1 models to come out over the years and one of them is the infamous “Shattered Backboard.” Named after the jersey Michael Jordan wore while shattering the backboard in Italy back in the 80s, this shoe has wowed sneakerheads thanks to its orange, white, and black aesthetics. As far as colorways go, the “Shattered Backboard” is among the upper-echelon of Jordan 1 offerings and now, it is going to be coming back to the Air Jordan 1 Low.

In the official images below, you can see that this sneaker is going to have a white leather base, all while the overlays are orange, and the Nike swoosh is black. This is a look that is hard to miss and from a collector standpoint, it’s also very hard to pass up. It is a shoe that will look great with any summer-inspired outfit and if you need to add color to your sneaker collection, these are going to be a great offering.

As for the release date, these are officially dropping on August 26th in men’s, women’s, and grade school sizes. Let us know if you will be grabbing a pair, in the comments below.

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

J.I.D is sitting on one of the year’s most anticipated releases, his proper studio follow-up to 2018’s DiCaprio 2. Tentatively titled The Forever Story, the Dreamville rapper has been relatively low-key when it comes to the details, though he has hinted at potential collaborations with Smino, Denzel Curry, Buddy, Benny The Butcher, and more. There’s also the long-running rumor that the project will be executive produced by No I.D, who recently held it down in the same capacity on Logic’s retirement album No Pressure.

Today, J.I.D confirmed that he had touched down in New York, implying that he tends to put in solid work in the Big Apple. “I love New York every time,” he writes. “I’m not gone tease bout this album but [mind blown].” Shortly after, he continued to fire off teasers, quoting the immortal words of DJ Khaled with a cryptic “have the _____vocals came in yet?”

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Naturally, his mysterious omission sparked no shortage of fan speculation, with some even wondering whether J.I.D was alluding to Drake himself, the original subject of Khaled’s quote. After all, J.I.D and the 6ix God recently connected at the end of April, sparking hope that collaboration was the natural result. Fueling that narrative is another reply from J.I.D, who hinted at the commercial prowess of his unknown associate: “big charts bih.”

There are plenty of viable options. Off the top, DaBaby, Lil Baby, and Roddy Ricch come to mind, all of whom would likely sound effective on wax with the Dreamville lyricist. Check out J.I.D’s recent teasers below, and sound off if you’re excited for The Forever Story — or whatever it ends up being titled — when it drops later this year. 

There’s been a growing debate surrounding a potential Verzuz line-up between Bow Wow and Romeo Miller. The two child stars emerged around the same time to similar success in the rap game so it seemed like a fair pairing but Bow Wow didn’t seem too interested in seeing that happen. “You sure you want this smoke? I see you calling me out,” Bow Wow subliminally wrote on Twitter. Romeo responded with a more positive outlook on a Verzuz.

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Anyways, the other artist that many believed would be a great match-up for Bow Wow is Soulja Boy. Although they are friends in real life, Soulja Boy suggested that Bow Wow might be fearful of going hit-for-hit against him. “I feel like Bow Wow’s scared to do a Verzuz,” said Soulja Boy during an interview with Tampa Bay’s Wild 94.1.

“You see when Romeo said something, he jumped right on it but as soon as they said Big Draco name, Bow Wow be quiet as hell making up all types of excuses, man. Bow Wow knows what’s up with me. Thar’s my boy, though. I love Bow Wow,” he said. “When it comes to Verzuz and all that, man, stop playin’ Bow Wow. He knows what’s up. That’s why he said, ‘Why I’mma battle Soulja Boy? We two different type of artists. I make music for the girls, he make party music.'”

Soulja Boy argued that although Bow Wow is correct in his assessment, he has delivered plenty of bangers for the ladies that he feels are on par with Bow Wow’s records.

Check out Soulja Boy’s comments below. 

In just a few weeks from now, Aaron Carter will be fighting against former NBA star Lamar Odom in a boxing match that already has fans scratching their heads in confusion. There is a huge weight and height difference between the two, and considering Odom was a professional athlete, it seems clear that Carter could be in for some serious punishment. Regardless, Carter has been training hard for the event and he periodically posts videos of himself in the ring.

Recently, however, Carter went down thanks to a body shot from fellow sparring partner Ian Feiner. The footage of the takedown was acquired by The Jason Ellis Show and was eventually posted to YouTube. In the footage below, you can see that Carter was in a lot of pain and that he seemed to be out of his element.

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With the fight going down on June 11th, Carter doesn’t have much time to get composed and back into the ring. Having said that, the fight against Odom promises a decent payday, and we’re sure he will be looking to maintain his contractual obligations. With this in mind, Odom could very well be doing the Birdman hand rub knowing his opponent is in a weakened state.

Let us know who you have winning this upcoming match, in the comments below.

Antonio Brown found a home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season and he immediately made an impact. In fact, the Bucs won the Super Bowl with Brown on the roster and the wide receiver even scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl, cementing his role with the team. Going into next season, the Bucs are ready to bring AB back into the fold, although according to head coach Bruce Arians, there is something holding back a potential deal.

“He has to pass the physical,” Arians told the Pewter Report podcast. Essentially, Brown needs knee surgery, which is happening in the near future. “Hopefully we’ll have a scope on Tuesday, he’s getting his knee cleaned out, and everything will work out fine. It’s just a matter of a physical.”

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Despite all of this, Arians acknowledged that he does want Brown back on the team and that they will do everything possible to make that happen.

“We wanted AB back,” Arians said. “He was a model citizen the whole time he’s been here. We wanted him back and he’s never had surgery in his life. It’s just a matter of [getting a] physical done. I wanted him back the whole time.” 

Needless to say, the Buccaneers are ready to do some damage next season and if they get a healthy AB back, then it’s going to be recipe for success.

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