The 2021 Brit Awards were eventful, especially for The Weeknd, as he managed to pick up a win in his sole nomination, for International Male Solo Artist. Elsehwere during the broadcast, he also gave a performance of his latest No. 1 single, “Save Your Tears.”
Ariana Grande, whose appearance on the song’s newest version helped propel it to the top of the charts, did not join The Weeknd. Instead, he was accompanied by After Hours collaborator Oneohtrix Point Never (aka Daniel Lopatin), who joined him in a small half room, which was revealed to be in a stormy outdoor environment.
He also gave a pre-taped acceptance speech. Standing in the rain on the same set as his performance, he said, “Thank you, BRIT Awards! I wish I was there to accept the award. I want to shout out my UK fans for helping me break out into the world. If it wasn’t for you guys, I would not be standing here right now, so thank you, I love you. To my people in Ethiopia who are suffering: You are deep in my heart. For everyone watching, please help where you can. Thank you, bye.”
Watch The Weeknd’s performance of “Save Your Tears” and his acceptance speech at the Brits above.
Fans of the team chemistry between the rappers of Maybach Music Group were distraught when a rumor surfaced on social media that two of the label’s flagship artists, Meek Mill and Rick Ross, might be on bad terms. The rumor postulates that Meek denied Ross entry to his birthday party (or his VIP section) over the weekend due to a disagreement stemming from Meek’s request to prematurely end his contract with MMG. Now fans are worried that the two longtime partners-in-rhyme have serious beef over the incident.
Meek not letting Ross into the party is petty. Must want out that contract.
However, some digging revealed that the only source for this information comes from known rabble-rouser/video game streamer DJ Akademiks, who described the event during a recent stream but didn’t mention any names. Because of Akademiks’s tension with Meek Mill, fans naturally reached the conclusion that Akademiks was talking about Meek and Ross. It should be noted, however, that as Akademiks was not in attendance at the party in question, his reliability as a source is shaky at best, and given his relationship with one of the artists subject to the rumor, has to be taken with a brick-sized grain of salt.
So…according to Akademiks. A certain rapper who is signed to another rapper has internal conflict within the label and wants off.
Even went as far as to not allowing the rapper that signed him into an event he hosted.
Of course, a little thing like basic journalistic principle will never stop the Twitter rumor mill from churning. Once Akademiks’s video was aggregated into a Bossip tweet, the buzz began in earnest. We’ll have to see how this “story” develops, but for now, you can see some of the fan reactions below.
Meek Mill and Rick Ross having issues, I guess the prison reform stance that Meek took affected Ross personally.
Akademiks was saying Meek didn’t let Ross into his section at Liv for his birthday. Of course it’s rumors for now but Ak was like Meek been trying to get out his MMG contract for months but Ross won’t let em.
J. Cole’s new documentary, Applying Pressure, tells us a lot we already know about the making of his new album The Off-Season. The difference is that much of it is now in his own words and voice, instead of relayed through a proxy and edited for clarity. The result is an insight into his process and his philosophy while crafting the long-awaited follow-up to his 2018 album, KOD. Specifically, we hear how his goal was to elevate his craft, and how in pursuing that goal, he approached improvement in rap the same way a basketball player might strive for improvement through strenuous exercise and targeted drills.
The comparison between sports and hip-hop has been drawn before; hip-hop is often outright described as a sport in itself, drawing parallels between the competitive aspect of battle rap and combat sports like boxing. But hip-hop is perhaps more closely tied to basketball than any other sport, in large part due to their commensurate rise in popularity in the decades since the 1970s. That rise is echoed not just in Cole’s current outlook, but also in his career trajectory overall. In Applying Pressure, he even points out how his failure to dedicate himself to working harder to earn minutes on the court mirrored an early self-made obstacle to his rap goals.
Cole describes putting himself through writing drills in much the same way a pro basketball player — or even an aspiring pro — would run dribbling, passing, and shooting drills while training to increase their agility, endurance, speed, stamina, and strength, focusing on exercises that build and protect the muscle groups and joints that players use most often. It’s not quite the same with rap; as often as basketball analogies are applied to the skills required to excel (I’ve been accused of overusing them myself a few times over the years), rap is one of those things that isn’t dulled with age. If anything, one’s rap skills should increase with experience — the bars get wittier, the range of true-life stories expands, the resources available for production and collaboration deepen.
This would appear to be Cole’s approach as well. In his cover profile in the latest issue of Slam magazine, he makes the distinction himself: “In basketball, you have no choice, your body tells you when,” he acknowledges. “In this sh*t, I’ve got a choice. It was a decision. It was, ‘If it happens, it’s because you allowed it to happen. This is the point where it takes place, where the n****s that you love [just don’t] hit the same. So you could fall victim to that right now and accept that and just keep either making music for the f*ck of it or just because it’s a business opportunity there, or you could really put in the hours and the months and the years it’s going to take to max out on your skill level and to max out on your ability so that when you look back you’re like, ‘Damn, I really did check all the boxes. I really did push myself as hard as I could go.’”
Rather than following in the footsteps of some of his forebears who grew lax in their own approach and let the game pass them by, Cole dedicated himself to this process of improvement with the same level of commitment with which he re-dedicated himself to pursuing his basketball dreams. The same day the documentary premiered on YouTube, just one day before appearing on the cover of a magazine best-known for its profiles of pro athletes (and potential pros), J. Cole joined the ranks of those pros by signing a contract to play for the Rwandan national team in the newly established Basketball Africa League. That feat also highlighted how the diligence to chase athletic goals can be applied to any other. It’s about the hours put in away from the spotlight, breaking through the pain and frustration of pushing yourself and of falling short, and it’s about never losing the desire to be the best of the best and knowing that the only person who controls that destiny is yourself.
“Since Rory feels like he has so many options here, somehow he still feels like he’s running the show,” states an incensed Joe. “He feels like he’s entitled to more. Rory, you are in breach of your contract. And from this point forward, you are fired, and you are not welcome back.” In subsequent tweets, Budden confirmed that he would no longer be working with Rory, and has since offered further clarification on his position.
“Friend or not, I’m NEVER funding someone’s sabotage of me, that will NEVER happen,” writes Joe, alluding to something deeper behind-the-scenes. “I get far away from the threat…. You can think piece until your face turns blue.”
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A fair prediction, as many blue-faced fans are currently in the midst of trying to unpack the internal turmoil that brought The Joe Budden Podcast to an unceremonious end. Some have invoked Akademiks, with predictions that Joe will be quickly mobilizing to reunite with his longtime Everyday Struggle co-host — who happens to be engaged in a disrespectful feud with both Rory and Mal. Others have even drawn comparisons to an old Budden classic “Three Sides To A Story,” noting that situations are seldom as clear-cut as they appear to be.
Depending on who is asked, Joe has done himself a favor by cutting ties with negative associates or doomed himself to go out in a similar fashion to Alonzo from Training Day. It’s a testament to the passion that The JBP has elicited from its fanbase, and it should be interesting to see if and when details of the implosion come to light. As of now, only Joe has publically commented on the fallout, while Mal and Rory have opted to remain silent.
Things keep getting worse and worse for T.I. and Tiny. In the recent weeks, a mounting number of women have come forward and accused the ATL couple of sexually assaulting them over the years, with most ladies already having retained lawyers for legal action. Well, now there’s a woman who’s coming out and saying she was not only forced to engage in sexual acts with the couple, but also with another rapper, Nelly.
“Jane Doe” says that she was hired as Tiny’s assistant as a teenager.While she was never paid or compensated, T.I and Tiny forced her to do drugs and forced her to have sex.She alleges that back in 2014 the couple made her have sex with another rapper, that being Nelly.
“Throughout the duration of her time with T.I. and Tiny, the duo forced her to engage in sexual acts with different woman against her will. In 2014, T.I. and Tiny forced her to have sexual intercourse with rapper Nelly against her will,” the narration alleges in the clip at the 3:00 minute mark.
Unfortunately, this isn’t Nelly’s first run in with the law for sexual assault. Back in 2017, he was charged with raping a woman on his tour bus, which was eventually settled out of court.Then later that same year a British woman sued the St. Louis rapper for forcing her into oral sex after a show in England.
Well continue to keep you posted on these developing and ongoing stories with Tip and Tiny moving forward.
Over the past weekend, Meek Mill recently celebrated his 34th birthday in Miami. After previous reports that revealed that Meek Mill ensured that Club LIV enforced a strict no-6ix9ine mandate, new rumors have spread that Tekashi 6ix9ine isn’t the only artist that Meek currently has beef with.
During a recent live stream on Twitch, DJ Akademiks revealed that an unnamed artist and record executive recently got into a spat at a big party, and fans have already deduced that he may be talking about Meek Mill and his mentor and Rick Ross.
“There is an artist that’s signed to another artist,” Akademiks says. “The artist that’s signed to another artist, they were having a party. The artist they’re signed to allegedly tried to enter the party and go about certain places, and I heard that there was a big issue. One of your favorite artists who’s claiming that they’re ‘lit,’ they’re a ‘boss,’ they do ‘whatever’ — they’re signed to another n*gga.”
“And allegedly, they’re beefing with the other n*gga cuz they’re tryna get off the label,” Akademiks continues. “I hear they want off the label. This been a ongoing conversation. The n*gga who they’re signed to showed up to their party, [and] they were not happy. When that person showed up, there was issues.”
In a rather peculiar fashion, Akademiks holds his tongue on who exactly he is referring to, but followers of the polarizing media personality have stated that Akademiks only refuses to name an artist when it involves Meek Mill.
According to Bossip, tweets soon surfaced and confirmed fans’ suspicions that it was indeed Meek and Rick Ross that allegedly had the altercation in Miami at Club LIV. While no violence appears to have occurred, many believe that Meek Mill didn’t allow entry to his label boss because of his frustration with his current MMG contract.
Stay tuned to see whether the alleged tension between Meek Mill and Rick Ross is just a rumor of the start of major drama for MMG.
Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo is really looking like he’s the biggest artist in the music biz right now. The hip-hop star has lit up social media with big respect on his own name courtesy of his “Wockesha” single toppling a music chart. Moneybagg Yo proves he’s still winning big The Tennessee native went to his […]
JAY-Z, legendary emcee, entrepreneur, and connoisseur of the letter “B,” can now add another accomplishment to his substantial list. Following his nomination in February, JAY has now been officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. In addition to Hova, LL Cool J, The Foo Fighters, Tina Turner, The Go-Gos, Carole King, and Todd Rundgren have also received the honor of inclusion.
Though the name may inherently suggest otherwise, the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame has inducted a decent amount of rappers throughout the years. In addition to Hova and the self-styled Ladies Love Cool James, the list of hip-hop representatives includes Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, N.W.A, 2Pac Shakur, and last year’s inductee Notorious B.I.G.
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In addition to his induction, LL Cool J will be receiving the Music Excellence Award alongside Randy Rhodes and Billy Preston. At this point, it feels like the number of rappers will continue to grow in the years to come, with names like Nas, Eminem, The Wu-Tang Clan, and OutKast feeling like inevitable selections.
The ceremony is set to take place on October 30th at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, with a broadcast available on HBO Max. It will be interesting to see whether or not JAY-Z attends, as he tends to be rather selective in his movements. Either way, it’s a solid accomplishment for both him and LL, two of the game’s legendary OGs. Congratulations are in order.
LL Cool J in 1987. Paul Natkin/WireImage/Getty Images
It’s safe to say Bradley Beal aint rocking with Kent Bazemore anymore. Over the weekend, Bradley Beal was having himself a monstrous 50-point game when he suffered a hamstring injury and was forced to leave the game early. The next day, Bazemore decided to take an unprovoked subliminal shot at Beal, praising his Warrior teammate Steph Curry for a game in which he did a similar performance as Beal but without getting hurt.
“Forty-nine points in 29 minutes, that’s unreal. We got guys hurting hamstrings to keep up,” Bazemore said while smirking. “Y’all gotta do some research on that.”
Well of course Beal got wind of the comments and didn’t take them lightly, responding on twitter and calling Bazemore a “straight lame.”
“I don’t do the subliminal’s !!!!!!!” Beal said, before going onto @Bazemore: “@24Bazemore you don’t know me or shit about me bruh!!! You don’t know why I go out there and play and it damn sure ain’t for another man’s approval!!! You a straight LAME!!! But it don’t surprise me coming from you, thats what’s yo type do!!”
But that wasn’t all Beal had to say. Read his other tweet calling Bazemore to “shut yo ass up” below.
OVO Sound boss Drake is living his best life and rubbing elbows with legit music icons. The hip-hop superstar has lit up social media with a refection following a dinner with The Isley Brothers’ Ron Isley. Drake can’t believe he dined with Ron Isley The 6 God went to his Instagram Story to speak out […]
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