A few legends in the Rap game have joined forces to form a supergroup, and they’re readying a project that Hip Hop fans are excited to hear. Shortly after they appeared on Verzuz together, Too $hort and E-40 announced that they, along with Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube, had formed a sort of California-centered supergroup for the culture. Now, we’re receiving a bit more information about what to expect—including a look from Dr. Dre.
The Bay Area icons recently spoke about the group and revealed that Dr. Dre would be making an appearance on the project. “Dre is on there, man,” $hort told HipHopDX. “He’s on there. Snoop got him on there. Dre is on there. That’s Snoop’s guy. That’s Ice Cube’s guy. They shot a big movie together. He’s on there. Ain’t no doubt about it. You don’t even got to ask him.”
“Definitely on there. Shout out to Dr. Dre,” added E-40. Too $hort chimed in. “He already did his part. It’s already certified. He’s on the project.” With so many hitmakers sharing the stage one could assume that ego can get in the way, but it seems that everyone is getting along just fine. There was even a moment where Ice Cube was told that he needed to pull back on one of the tracks, but Cube put his foot down.
“We told Ice Cube on one song, ‘Bro, you just went too hard, too hard,’ and he waited about a couple hours and then he hit back and said, ‘I’m not changing sh*t,'” said Short Dog. E-40 confirmed the story and added, “He did! We was like, ‘F*ck it.’ Me and $hort and Snoop, we just … even Snoop say, ‘You know me, dog. I’m the easiest. You know me. I’m the baby of the bunch. I’m out of it.’ We was like, ‘All right. That is Ice Cube. F*ck it. Let him do what he do.’ We ain’t trying to water down sh*t. He going hard, too. Everybody going hard. We going hard on that b*tch, just jam.”
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We’ve heard much more about Dr. Dre since the megaproducer suffered a frightening brain aneurysm last month. Dre has shared images of himself in the studio and a snippet of a track quickly circulated online where he is heard rapping about the billion-dollar divorce from his wife with a few scathing bars. Check out Too $hort and E-40’s interview below.
Between the Tekashi 6ix9ine drama and coming under social media fire over that Kobe Bryant lyric, Meek Mill has been a topic of several conversations within the last week. The Philadelphia rapper seems to be taking viral hits from all sides, and while he’s doing his best to calm those fires and get back to promoting his music, controversy just seems to follow. Actress, reality star, and Fox Soul host Claudia Jordan was paying attention to the unfolding spectacle involving the rapper and took to her show to share a years-old memory of Meek that left her feeling as if he is “impulsive.”
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“I seen him one time out in a restaurant with Nicki Minaj. This was back in the day, right after I did Housewives,” she began. After trying to remember exactly where she saw the former couple, Jordan settled on recalling that it was a Jamaican restaurant in New York. “She was super friendly to me… Meek got upset about someone trying to take a picture of them in the restaurant. But I’m like, it’s Nicki Minaj, the biggest rapper of all time at the time, and Meek Mill. They’re a hot celebrity Rap couple and of course [people] are gonna try to take a picture.”
“And he like, made a scene. I remember feeling kinda bad for Nicki,” Jordan continued. “Poor Nicki. She was trying to control her guy, like, ‘Just chill, just chill.’ And he was like, “I seen you…!’ And we were one table over. It was super uncomfortable. I think, maybe, he has emotional reactions to things. I think he’s kind of impulsive. I think he says things and thinks about it later. I don’t know.”
There are new rumors about DaBaby afloat, and no, it doesn’t have to do with any romances or legal troubles. In recent months, there has been plenty of news about the Blame it on Baby rapper as we’ve reported on stories involving his short-lived romance with DaniLeigh, his wordplay with a Jojo Siwa lyric, and most recently, accusations that he assaulted the owner of a property he was renting. All the while, the North Carolina-bred rapper has been consistently releasing new music whether it be his own projects or collaborations with his fellow artists, and some believe he may be partnering with 50 Cent and Kenya Barris on their new television series.
The big announcement regarding Fif and Barris’s The 50th Law Netflix series was recently shared, and of course, the Power mogul has been posting about it on his Instagram page. However, all it took was one word and a few emojis for DaBaby to steal the attention after he slid in 50 Cent’s comments on his The 50th Law post.
“Studying,” the rapper wrote along with eyeball emojis. The short, enigmatic remark caused a stir as people began to ask if DaBaby was studying for a role in the series, or just studying how Fif is making moves in Hollywood. We’ll have to wait to learn what the answer is, but 50 Cent’s projects are known for casting artists and musicians like Mary J. Blige, Method Man, Rotimi, and more.
Not everyone was enthusiastic about DaBaby taking his shot at the small screen and those detractors made their voices heard. Check out the post below and let us know if you can see the rapper starring in a series.
With three decades of hits under her belt, there are plenty of Mary J. Blige’s own songs that she could listen to for eternity. The recently-turned 50-year-old performer has been ruling the airwaves, as well as the large and small screens, for longer than some of the younger generations of artists have been alive, but according to Blige, it was only recently that she decided to sit back and listen to her catalog. According to the singer, she was never really a fan of adding her tracks to her playlists.
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Blige spoke with Ellen DeGeneres today (February 23) about listening to her older songs for the first time while under quarantine. “I really don’t like to listen to even the sound of my speaking voice, let alone listen back to Mary J. Blige,” she said. “But I’ve grown so much, you know, in confidence that during the quarantine, I don’t know, just something just said, ‘Listen to some Mary J. Blige.’ And I did. I felt like an outside person doing it.”
She was surprised at just how much those decades-old tracks resonated with her today. “As I was listening, what blew me away is, like, you know, so many of the lyrics was helping me now during the quarantine and in my life,” she added. “And what I couldn’t understand was how could somebody so messed up that was, you know, drinking and on drugs and just a crazy person, you know, young person write those lyrics that can help me through everything that I’m going through right now. It’s like listening to another person, especially during the time we were all just, you know, suffering in the quarantine and in this pandemic.”
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“I was listening to the My Life album during the pandemic, and I was listening to ‘My Life,’ the song ‘My Life,’ and I was like, ‘Wow, how did I write those lyrics? How did I do that?'” she said. “Because it was a time where we all needed to be patient, and I know I need patience. And the line, ‘Take your time, one day at a time. It’s all on you. What you gonna do?’ was like, that was, you know, that was the healer for me. Like, ‘Just sit down Mary, and relax. You’re not going anywhere.'”
Check out a clip of the music icon’s appearance on Ellen below.
Six months ago, Jaden Smith shared his “summery” project, CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3. The project featured additional vocals by Raury and Justin Bieber, and all these months later, Jaden returns with a visual to his single, “Photograph.” The song was one of the more lovelorn tracks on the album and in its accompanying music video, Jaden matches the tone with a colorful, beachy, California-Dream-style clip.
“It’s kind of bringing all my fans who have been with me from the beginning, since before ‘Icon,’ before SYRE, and kind of updating them onto everything that’s been happening,” Jaden previously told Apple Music about CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3. “But with that being said, this is also a prequel before SYRE, you know? So it’s kind of taking place when I’m like 15, going all the way up until 17, and how did SYRE get trapped in the sunset? How did all that happen? Why did it happen? Where’s your friends? Where’s everybody else? Tell us the story before you get trapped in this Inception purgatory.”
Watch Jaden Smith cry his heart out as he immerses himself, and his emotions, in the ocean in the video above.
Her roles have become staples in pop culture and in 2009, Taraji P. Henson nabbed herself a coveted Academy Awards nomination for her role in the hit film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The movie starred Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Mahershala Ali, and many other notable names that helped it become an unforgettable cinematic journey. It made Henson an Oscars contender and although she was praised for her addition to the story, the actress recently revealed that she was paid much less than her fellow performers.
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During her appearance on Ladies First with Laura Brown, Taraji shared that while Pitt and Blanchett received millions to star in the film, she was only paid around $40K—much less than what she initially asked. “I felt like what I was asking, at that time of my career, was fair to the ticket sales that I would contribute to this big film. [The studio] wouldn’t do it… and then I was gutted.” Now, Taraji knows her worth and what her talents can contribute to a project.
Elsewhere, the actress also spoke about the “strong Black woman” stigma and how that label can be detrimental. “I understand why we took that on, Black women being the bottom of the totem pole, never being seen,” she said. “I understand, but it’s when others go, ‘Yes, strong Black woman!’ and then it dismisses us… Then if my child or somebody I know is gunned down in the streets, I’m supposed to be strong through that? I’m not allowed to be angry? I’m not allowed to be pissed off?”
“I can’t say because you’ve taken everything from me. I’m not allowed to feel that? I’m just supposed to be strong?” She feels similarly about the term “Black girl magic.” She said, “I’m not a fairy. I get it. It’s sweet, but baby, I’m not a fairy. I don’t have magic dust.” Listen to her episode below.
Kanye West may get all the credit for keeping Adidas on a competitive level with Nike, but over the past year, the three stripes brand has been working hard to prop up another huge name in cross-brand collaboration, a name that actually manages to best Ye from a pure fame standpoint. Watch out Ye, because Bey is coming up fast.
Beyonce’s gender-neutral athleisure label, IVY PARK, is a little over a year old now, but in that short time Bey and Adidas have built up quite the catalog of unique sneaker colorways, utilizing some of the Three Stripe’s most interesting silhouettes. Design-wise, Ivy Park has been taking a different approach than what Kanye is doing with Yeezy — rather than create entirely new sneaker silhouettes, the brand focuses on offering remixes of Adidas’ classic styles, offering sleek cuts, exciting material choices, and vibrant color palettes fit for an internet-breaking Beyonce video. A simple celebrity cash grab this is not!
Kanye may be the most successful music- turned designer for now, but with heat like this from Beyonce plus Rihanna killing it with Savage x Fenty, he needs to watch that throne. Let’s dive into every Ivy Park Adidas sneaker, including the latest winter-ready Icy Park collection, ranked from worst to best.
18. Ivy Park Adidas Superstar Platform
Adidas
The Superstar is hands-down one of Adidas’ greatest silhouettes, but it’s at the bottom of this list. Not because it’s a platform (no, that’s not a screen glitch, the shoe actually looks like that), though that doesn’t help. Because it’s… ugly. And not in that trendy so-ugly-it’s-fashion way.
It’s just straight-up hard to look at.
That’s probably why it wasn’t included in either of the first, second or even third Ivy Park drops. Instead, it landed last year as part of a collection that also featured other Superstar reimaginings by Jonah Hill and Sean Wotherspoon. It’s ultimately forgettable and remains a stain on a near-perfect record.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Superstar Platform at GOAT.
17. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra Boost DNA Black
StockX
I know I was just trashing on the abomination that is the Superstar Platform, but this triple black iteration of the Adidas Ultra Boost comes dangerously close to being just as bad. Released as part of an extension to Ivy Park drop 2, this sneaker has few redeemable qualities. A prime knit upper in core black atop a matching BOOST midsole, and a puzzling radioactive volt outsole, you can get all of this with a stock Adidas drop, so you’re getting little more than a name here, and paying the price for it.
Get the Ivy park Adidas Ultra Boost DNA at StockX.
16. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 White Black
Adidas
Released last year as part of the second Ivy Park collection, the Super Sleek 72 White/Black suffers solely because it isn’t quite as good as drop 1’s Super Sleek, and nowhere near drop 3’s. The colorways are solid, but ultimately it’s going to be impossible to rock a pair of these without being reminded that they aren’t one of the three better colorways.
We’ll get more into the details behind this special silhouette when we talk about the original release. One annoying thing about this shoe is, it was originally called the Sleek Super, and everyone kept calling it the Super Sleek, and Adidas just quietly changed it!
Or did they? It’s a real Bernstein Bears situation with this sneaker.
The Forum Lo debuted in drop 2 of Ivy Park and since then the brand has shifted focus to the Forum Mid, which we admit is much better. . The Forum Lo features a leather and suede upper with a translucent bottom sole and a fastening strap. It’s easily the least flashy sneaker in the entire IVY PARK collection.
Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. But if you can’t get behind a fastening strap, you’re not going to find a lot to love here.
14. Ivy Park Adudas Nite Jogger Maroon/Solar Orange
Adidas
When Ivy Park initially dropped in January 2020, this sneaker was criticized endlessly, and for good reason. It looks like a goddamn traffic cone thanks to its Solar Orange half and half colorway — with a toe box dipped in deep maroon.
This shoe is out there, but we respect Beyonce’s bold design here. They’re impossible to look away from. For better or worse.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Maroon at GOAT.
13. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 Black
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Released as a short update to Ivy Park drop 2 in November of last year, this triple-black version of the Ivy Park Super Sleek is pretty clean but had Ivy Park opted for an all-black sole over the gum, we’d have bumped it up considerably on this list. The gum sole is nice, but it keeps this design from being the dominatrix (or Darth Vader, if you’re nerdy) sneaker it so desperately wants to be.
The wrinkled core black leather upper is accented nicely by some core black suede accents. Not the worst Super Sleek, but a bit far from the best.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 Black at GOAT.
12. Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Dark Green Frozen Yellow
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This Dark Green Frozen Yellow Nite Jogger suffers from the same problem as the Maroon iteration, only this one isn’t quite as ugly. Instead of a traffic cone, it resembles a Mountain Dew bottle — which is better, if only a little.
All jokes aside, this iteration sold out almost instantly when it launched as part of drop 2. Aftermarket prices have settled around $150 for this pair in 2021. Not a bad pickup if you want to Do the Dew.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Dark Frozen at GOAT.
11. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Maroon
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When the first Ivy Park collection dropped, this felt like the signature piece. While it’s not our favorite, it’s still pretty beloved. Featuring a double Maroon colorway atop a Solar Orange outsole, this design nails the futuristic fitness vibe that the Maroon Nite Jogger couldn’t quite master.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Maron at GOAT.
10. Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Off-White
Adidas
So far the IVY PARK Nite Jogger’s have suffered from a half-and-half presentation that just doesn’t work, but this mix of Off-White (not that Off-White, but wouldn’t that be something?), Ecru Tint and Dark Green just works.
It also brings something new to Adidas’ usual Nite Jogger offerings with a brighter presentation and an alternate lacing system that really shows off the silhouette’s cool geometry.
While the second IVY PARK drop brought a lot new to the looks coming out of the label, it also acted as an opportunity to refresh the first drop’s best designs. This didn’t work for the Sleek Super 72, but this Hi-Res Yellow version of the Adidas Ultra BOOST knocks the original Maroon dip out of the park.
It’s every bit as extreme as the original, but the Hi-Res has some balance as well — with a gum outsole that matches up nicely with the blinding colorway.
8. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra Boost Icy Park White
Adidas
Released as part of Ivy Park’s winter-focused Icy Park drop, this triple white iteration of the Ultra BOOST is an improvement over last year’s all-black version. The Ultra BOOST isn’t quite as hot as it was six years ago, but this Ivy Park iteration is great, offering a prime knit upper with TPU overlays, a BOOST midsole, a rubber gum outsole, and Ivy Park’s comfort-focused draw-string lacing system.
Swapping out that hideous volt outsole for the traditional gum was the right call!
Get the Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Icy Park at Adidas.
7. Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Metallic Silver
Adidas
We’re happy to see Beyonce showing more love to the Forum Mid, which first debuted as part of Ivy Park drop 2. This shimmery metallic version was released as part of the Icy Park drop and features ankle straps, a multi-layered leather upper, and a luxurious silver metallic colorway.
As cool as it is, it’s our least favorite Forum Mid colorway out of the Ivy Park lineage.
Get the Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Metallic Siler at Adidas.
6. Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Cream
Adidas
Everything we love about the Forum Mid Metallic Silver in a more functional and stylistically conservative cream colorway. But as a person who has owned their fair share of metallic sneakers, I’m here to tell you that these, while tamer, will age so much better.
Metallic colorways go in and out of style, but cream is much more timeless.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. This was our original number one pick, but as the years have gone on our perspective has shifted. That’s not a bad thing, it means Ivy Park continues to evolve, as this was the centerpiece of the original drop. The shape is IVY PARK’s most original, as it was adapted from Adidas’ Samba Silhouette to Bey’s personal specifications, and that mix of White premium leather and Dash Grey suede with subtle Maroon and Solar Orange accents works incredibly harmoniously.
The entire first IVY PARK collection might revolve around this same color scheme, but it never works quite so perfectly as it does here. We’re hoping the Sleek Super’s success inspires IVY PARK to dabble in more original shapes.
4. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek Boot
Adidas
We’re glad to see Ivy Park show a lot of love to the Super Sleek silhouette, it’s the brand’s most original design and to see it here in boot form as the centerpiece of drop 3 shows a commitment to giving us something new out of Ivy Park, rather than relying solely on Adidas’ stock designs.
With a cloud white, off-white, and core white colorway, this leather and suede boot sits atop a chunky gum sole, with braided bungee detailing around the heel.
The IVY PARK Forum Mid Green Tint was Ivy Park’s first go at Adidas’ Forum Mid silhouette and it’s still the best! In fact, it’s one of the best colorways to come out of the Ivy Park brand.
The shoe still has that leather and suede construction of the low top, but the fastening strap looks less out of place here and that Green Tint colorway is just too damn fresh.
2. Adidas IVY PARK Nite Jogger Ecru Tint
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The Ecru Tint Nite Jogger isn’t only the best IVY PARK Nite Jogger, it’s the best Nite Jogger colorway Adidas has ever dropped. That’s high praise and, honestly, if this sneaker said “Off-White” instead of “IVY PARK” it’d be going for thousands on the aftermarket.
Be thankful it isn’t!
It looks like something that would come from the mind of Virgil Abloh, only without the gimmicky tags or production numbers. Clean, classic, bold, and damn near perfect.
1. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72
Adidas
A future classic in the making. This Cloud white, off-white, core white makeup of the Super Sleek 72 is now Bey’s greatest contribution to the footwear game. It took a few attempts, but Bey finally found a way to build on what she did with drop 1’s Super Sleek (Our original number 1) with this all-white iteration out of the Icy Park drop. The way it swaps the originals laces with thicker braided laces, the mix of luxe leather and premium suede — it’s just so damn clean!
The ending of a relationship can cause people to do and say crazy things, but people are calling this college student’s rant unacceptable. Days ago, a screenshot of a series of texts reportedly sent by cross country and track runner Chris Weiland were shared to an Instagram account dubbed “@ucla_is_racist.” The texts are purportedly from Weiland to his then-girlfriend who, he learned, cheated on him with a Black man. In the messages, Weiland reportedly unleashes.
“You really cuffed a F*CKING BUM ASS N*GGER WITH NOTHING GOING FOR HIM,” the text reads. “EVER. A BROKE ASS STUPID ASS N*GGER. you have no standards so who cares.” Separately, there was a video that surfaced as well, but the person in the clip can’t be seen. However, it’s reported to be Weiland as he’s on speakerphone explaining his relationship turmoil to a woman on the other end.
“When she said she didn’t want to get back together, why do you think? It’s cause she wants to be with this f*cking n*gger who has no future. She’s going to be with a stupid n*gger who’s going to be in community college his whole life,” the man in the clip is heard saying. The woman tells him he can’t speak about people using that language. “He probably lives in the f*cking ghetto,” the man continued.
The controversy caused head coach Avery Anderson to release a statement, but that didn’t quell the public’s concerns. According to Anderson, he suspended Weiland indefinitely months ago after learning of the controversy but he was reinstated last month. “I now realize that the decision to reinstate him was not the right decision, and that the action today is best for the well-being of our team,” Anderson said in the statement announcing Weiland’s permanent dismissal. “After team members and the athletic community expressed concern, it became clear that his continued involvement with the team is incompatible with the culture of mutual support and respect we’re fostering.”
It’s reported that Weiland enrolled at UCLA in 2019 and the Los Angeles Times states that these alleged incidents of racism occurred prior to his college career at the blue and gold-themed university.
She’s not shy about, well, anything, and now Cardi B is detailing the insecurities she felt during her adolescence and young adulthood. The New York-born-and-bred rapper isn’t like other celebrities who brush off questions or accusations of plastic surgery. Cardi B has let it be known that she’s gone under the knife, repeatedly, and during her recent chat with Mariah Carey for Interview, the Invasion of Privacy rapper discussed being teased about her looks when she was younger and developing more confidence once she underwent cosmetic surgery.
“New York is a melting pot, especially where I grew up in the Bronx. I’m Trini and I’m Dominican, and there’s a lot of Dominicans that look a certain type of way,” the rapper explained to the singer. “They have soft, pretty, curly hair. Growing up, guys would ask me weird questions like, ‘If you’re Dominican, why is your hair so nappy?’ I used to dye my hair,and people used to be like, ‘Oh, your hair’s so crunchy.’ And it would make me feel so weird.”
Cardi also shared that in her neighborhood, thick women with a curvy shape were praised but because she was “also really skinny,” she found herself on the receiving end of taunts. “Young boys would be like, ‘Look at your flat ass. You ain’t got no titties.’ And it would make me feel so ugly and undeveloped.” At 18, the rapper said she began dancing and earned enough money to change what she wasn’t happy with about her body.
“I had enough money to afford to buy boobs, so every insecurity that I felt about my breasts was gone. When I was 20, I went to the urban strip club, and in the urban strip clubs, you had to have a big butt,” she revealed. “So, I felt insecure about that. It took me back to high school. So I got my ass done. And then I felt super confident.” Check out a few more snaps from her Interview cover shoot below.
Hip-hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion seems happy with her new Harper’s Bazaar magazine cover photo shoot — she’s been posting it all over her social media pages. In other corners of the Internet, however, there’s a debate raging about the magazine’s ability to properly capture a Black woman’s beauty. Meg Thee Stallion’s Photos Come Under […]
