Sean “Diddy” Combs has unveiled the official trailer for Off the Grid, marking his directorial debut. This film draws inspiration from the love stories in his chart-topping R&B album, The Love Album: Off the Grid. Co-starring alongside Diddy is Eva Apio, a rising star, Ugandan actress, and supermodel making her acting debut.
Off the Grid captures the journey of two lovers seeking to escape the world’s distractions and communications, immersing themselves in a phone-free space, embodying a whirlwind romance filled with passion, drama, and the enduring spirit of love.
Diddy personally selected Eva Apio for her acting debut after an extensive casting process. The movie is a testament to Diddy’s creative genius and his ability to innovate, redefine boundaries, and captivate audiences in multifaceted ways. It marks his eighth acting role in a film and his directorial debut.
NBA standout Kyle Kuzma, in partnership with PUMA Hoops, has unveiled their second Childhood Dreams Collection. This unique collaboration reflects Kuzma’s style and the powerful message that dreams can lead to success both on and off the basketball court. The collection draws inspiration from Kuzma’s journey of pursuing his childhood dream of becoming an NBA star.
The Childhood Dreams Collection blends hard work with high fashion, featuring retro color blocking, work shirt-inspired design elements, and distinctive aesthetics that align with Kuzma’s style.
The range includes footwear, apparel, and accessories such as the Childhood Dreams All-Pro NITRO, Velophasis Childhood Dreams, Dreaming Shirt, Dreaming Pant, Mesmerize Tee, and the PUMA x Childhood Dreams Work Bag, among others.
With prices ranging from $45 to $225, the Childhood Dreams Collection is available starting Nov. 3 at select locations, including PUMA.com, the PUMA mobile app, PUMA NYC Flagship, Foot Locker, and Kids Foot Locker. Don’t miss this opportunity to embrace your dreams in style.
On the last day of 2020 the world was shocked to learn that hip hop’s supervillain, MF DOOM had passed away 2 month’s prior on October 31st. Shock, disbelief and sadness spread across the community of fans, family and people who loved him.
My story with DOOM started in 2004. I was working on The Beautiful Struggle tour for Talib Kweli and DOOM was the opener. I was rushing around backstage when I saw him and Benn Grimm waiting to go onstage.
“You got a dutch?” I asked him, pushing past Benn who seemed like he was trying to block him. “Nah I don’t have one, he replied, flashing a smile of 18k gold fronts. At that moment, Kweli walks by and says, “Oh you met DOOM, this is my assistant Courtney Brown— Court, you know DOOM is from KMD?’
BB Kings Show in NYC
This was the beginning of a friendship that would forever influence my life. Not much long after our initial meeting we became road buddies and I came to know the author Daniel Dumile. After watching me problem solve on the road for Kweli, he asked me to work for him and his wife Jasmine once that tour ended. They both taught me how to navigate the business world as well as helped with my personal growth. DOOM was a teacher and to be in his circle you had to study. He would send countless 4 hour lectures and sign books that he felt were pertinent to my growth.
Onstage with Mos who loved DOOM
Once his mask was removed, he revealed he was thoughtful… full of curiosity, kindness and unusual talent. He treated me like a queen in an industry that took advantage of women. He didn’t act like a rapper because as he said that wasn’t even him. He would run errands, helped with my goals and always knew how to fix everything. He inconspicuously took the train from NYC in a snowstorm to Jersey Shore to help us pack up my granny’s 7 bedroom house for sale. Even though he just released his classic album MM…FOOD , he trooped through the snow walking from the train to our house in Neptune, NJ because no cars were available. We stayed up all night talking about everything under the sun as he meticulously wrapped heirlooms inquiring about each item.
I moved to LA to assist him as he worked on DangerDOOM. During that time we spent a lot of time finding inspiration for that album and hanging out with my best friend at the time Kelis and her husband, rapper Nas. One day after a bougie LA dinner I convinced them to come back to my hotel room where DOOM put on some beats and Nas began freestyling. This lasted nearly an hour. DOOM had his Special Herbs CD on him and it was a historical moment not captured on camera or recorded.
Eventually my job description grew as I became a part of his ‘entourage’ but DOOM was a villain and there was always more to be revealed. When I began writing he supported that too—demanding I write many of his cover stories including his FRANK 151 cover.
written by C. Boogie Brown
One day he instructed me to do an entire press day with what he called a ‘robot’ and later I found out it would be Benn Grimm. (He was full of surprises.) He told me not to let ANYONE in the room except the journalists for the interviews and the photographers to take photos. I was scared shitless. We were shooting a cover with a fake DOOM. I had on my best business ensemble and issued a lot of ‘no’s’ that day. We made it through that day until a woman who knew him and demanded to speak to him kept pressuring to enter the room.
Busted. We stayed up that night with him and Jas in Atlanta and me in New York writing the perfect editorial for Elemental Magazine who was pretty upset.
One of my first Editors gig.
He and I together composed the perfect words to explain his tactics. And Jas, always loving and fair, paid me handsomely for my work. They both respected my pen. We moved back to LA to work on MADVILLAIN 2 and that album is the greatest album no one has heard yet. Built off a lot of crazy experiences and real life situations he turned into songs, he put a lot of work into that record. Although he didn’t complete it, he felt masterpieces should not be rushed. One song we researched for weeks which came from a weird news story I told him about in New York. We laughed about it for nearly 2 hours before the intense research began. We called it the ‘monkey song’. He recorded a few songs with Ghostface during that time and he was one of the few rappers I could get to change lyrics which is why there are 2 versions of Angels.
“I asked him, “Why does GHOST say 3 white b****?”…
I could go on for eternity with stories, memories and lessons I learned from the supervillain. He was very strategic and placed things and people where he wanted them to be. He knew what he was doing. Many might wonder why I would reveal so much. DOOM often talked about not being here and of course I would shrug it off. He emphatically told me, “If I’m not here anymore, you better tell that story. I’d rather it be you then anybody. Villain!” Maybe one day, I will. Rest in Power DOOM.
Lloyd Banks has returned with the release of his fourth project in three years with the long-awaited ‘Halloween Havoc IV: The 72nd Hour’ – stream it here.
Last night, Diddy appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and he sure had some interesting stories to tell. He also didn’t hold back on clearing up rumors.
“Speaking of love, I saw a guy on the internet the other day,” Kimmel said. “He said he used to be your security guard, who said that when you were dating J. Lo, Will Smith and Jada tried to pick her up on a threesome, and you were gonna beat up Will Smith. Is that true?”
For a second, Diddy stares at Kimmel with a tense expression as the audience laughs. He then breaks into laughter.
“This show has gotten crazier since the last time,” Diddy jokes back about the Will Smith rumor.
“It’s all about love, though,” Kimmel asks again. “That’s not true?”
“You really heard that?” Diddy replied. “Nah.” Kimmel and Diddy then poke fun about how you can’t believe everything you see on the internet, to which the rapper and mogul responds, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Jimmy, I thought we was friends.”
From there, the interview shifts subjects to Kimmel discussing another interview Diddy did, where he revealed that he tried toad venom. Kimmel also pointed out that Eric Andre said last week he did a similar thing that provided a psychedelic effect.
Check out Diddy discussing the Smith rumor above, starting at 7:12 into the video.
The SOS Tour has Grammy Award-winning musician SZA outside more often than usual, and for her, clothing is optional. From her SKIMS campaign, twerk clips shared on social media, and cinematic music videos, SZA proudly embraces her curves in every way. The songwriter’s self-confidence has come a long way since her bouts of bullying in her teen years.
On her chart-topping sophomore album SOS, SZA opened up about falling in love with her body and undergoing a cosmetic procedure (Brazilian butt lift, or “BBL”) to enhance her frame. But did SZA say she’s had face surgery in her career? Yesterday (October 30), during an interview with Hunter Harris for Wall Street Journal, the “Snooze” singer denied the growing online rumor.
“That sh*t is low-key offensive,” she said. “Not low-key, it’s high-key offensive. But what am I supposed to do? Post a debunking thread? That’s crazy. You would rather believe the TikTok thread. You would rather believe any Twitter thread; you could just Google yourself and figure it out. There were clear instances when I talked about my freckles.”
She continued, “I hear crazy sh*t about myself. I heard I had a facelift, I heard I had a nose job, I heard my teeth were fake. Now, do I need to go out and get a nose job because you all made me feel like I need one?”
Based on her response, it seems SZA wants to put the claims to bed for good.
Lil Wayne is undoubtedly one of hip-hop’s most important figures. The self-proclaimed “best rapper alive” has clearly left his mark on the next generation of rappers. His work ethic speaks for itself in his extensive catalog of 13 studio albums, countless mixtapes, and collaborations. The New Orleans native is clearly not slowing down his consistent output anytime soon with the recent release of Welcome 2 ColleGrove, his upcoming second collaborative with 2 Chainz. Lil Wayne also announced that Tha Carter VI will arrive soon, releasing Tha Fix Before Tha VI to fuel the buzz. With an endless amount of music and new material on the way, it begs the question of what Lil Wayne’s best-selling album actually is. That award goes to his sixth studio album, Tha Carter III.
Tha Carter III arrived during a creative peak for Lil Wayne. Weezy was riding the success of the first two installments of Tha Carter, as well as his full-length collaboration with Birdman. There was also the rise of “mixtape Wayne” as he released a host of classic mixtapes, as well as his iconic feature run of 2007 where he appeared on 100 songs in that year alone. By the end of that year, Wayne’s status in hip-hop was scorching hot. He was constantly churning out some of his best material for his solo material and his collaborations. At that point, nothing was stopping Lil Wayne’s dominance.
The majority of Tha Carter III leaked online before it saw an official release, causing major delays. While the leaks caused setbacks for the album’s campaign, it still managed to sell over 1 million copies in its first week, becoming one of the fastest-selling albums in the U.S. at the time. At the time, he joined Eminem and 50 Cent as the only other two rappers to move a million-plus copies in the first week. The Carter III debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking Lil Wayne’s first album to top the chart. He clearly capitalized on his momentum with Tha Carter III, resulting in his biggest album to date. Upon its release, Lil Wayne was unstoppable.
Numerous Hit Singles And Exciting Collaborations
Tha Carter III is Lil Wayne’s best-selling album by a long shot. It was officially certified 8x platinum in 2022. The only other work in his extensive discography that comes remotely close to reaching its stature is Tha Carter IV, which is 5x platinum. Lil Wayne also has numerous double platinum albums, including Tha Carter II, both in installments of I Am Not A Human Being and Tha Carter V. However, not one of Lil Wayne’s albums has reached the commercial heights of Tha Carter III. The success of his sixth studio album can be attributed to the prolific run that preceded it, as well as its numerous hit singles and exciting collaborations.
“Lollipop” is Lil Wayne’s most successful solo single to date and boasts a diamond certification. The Static Major-assisted track was also his first song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The 6x platinum “A Milli” also remains one of his biggest singles to date, peaking at No. 6 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the rap charts. Songs like the explosive “Got Money” with T-Pain and irresistibly catchy “Mrs. Officer” with Bobby V and Kidd Kidd were also massively successful, contributing to the overall success of Tha Carter III. It also featured the classic “Mr. Carter” with JAY-Z, which made the album even more of a crowning moment for Lil Wayne.
If Tha Carter II left any doubt in the credibility of Wayne’s claim to being the best rapper alive, then Tha Carter III won over his biggest skeptics. In addition to being his best-selling album, it is also his most critically acclaimed work. Tha Carter III even took over the rap game even with its most underrated tracks, including the Kanye West-produced “Comfortable” and “Let The Beat Build,” the latter of which saw Wayne smoothly ride a constantly progressing instrumental. There was also “Dr. Carter,” which is arguably Lil Wayne’s most creative song ever as he skillfully assumed the role of a doctor that brought hip hop back to life.
Overall, Tha Carter III contained some of Wayne’s most brilliant lyrical moments, iconic tracks, and highest-selling singles. The album, which won Weezy his first three Grammy Awards, stands as the crown jewel of his discography. Tha Carter III marked a moment in time when Lil Wayne ran the rap game, and its status as his biggest release speaks to both Wayne’s commercial peak and his legacy.
Boosie Badazz has been in the music industry for a long time. Like many of his contemporaries, he’s had his share of run-ins with the law. Some situations found the Baton Rouge-born artist facing serious allegations of murder, which he ultimately beat. Others have seen him taking on the victim role, like a shooting that took place in Dallas in 2020. At the time, Boosie took a bullet to the leg. This left him in a wheelchair for the duration of his recovery. Since then, the embattled artist hasn’t returned to the city where he was shot, but on Sunday (October 29), he entertained the idea of coming back – if the money’s right, of course.
“I don’t know, they gotta pay me a lot of money to come to Dallas,” Boosie stated during a recent Instagram Live. “They shot me in Dallas. They gotta pay that bag. I’m tryna come! $150,000 – I’m coming. They shot me in Dallas,” he added. Nevertheless, the 40-year-old still showed love to fans in the Lone Star state. “I love Dallas, though. [They] my highest supporting city. Every time I drop a movie, Dallas be number one!” Boosie alleged.
The 2020 incident was particularly traumatic for Boosie, as it took place during a vigil for the late Mo3. It took place outside of a strip mall called Big T’s when a gunman began shooting at the rapper’s sprinter van and quickly fled the scene. After spending over a week in the hospital for treatment, Badazz was ultimately released to continue his recovery at home, though he was back on stage in his wheelchair just four days later.
Besides addressing questions about the potential of him performing in Dallas again, Boosie Badazz has also shared his thoughts on the new documentary about him. The Louisana native is usually happy to be in the spotlight, but now that he’s been painted as an “alleged serial killer,” Boosie wants no part in the project. Read more about that at the link below, and check back later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.
Pooh Shiesty gave a shout-out to Lil Baby, Lil Durk, and Don Trip during his recent interview on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast. While calling in to speak with Gillie and Wallo, he praised the group of rappers for holding him down while he’s in prison.
“Rappers, for sure,” Shiesty began. “You got motherf*ckers really sitting down and taking their time out to write, you know? Good men like Lil Baby, Durk — he ain’t missing’ a beat. Y’all familiar with Don Trip? He just wrote me a letter the other day. Just got a letter from him. There’s a lot of artists that keep my name alive in many different ways.”
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 11: Rapper Pooh Shiesty performs onstage during 2021 Shiesty Season Spring Fest at Central Station on April 11, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Shiesty pled guilty to federal conspiracy charges in connection with a shooting that took place in South Florida in October 2020. Last year, he was sentenced to five years and three months in prison. The time was reduced from eight years after he took a plea. He’s continued to post on social media throughout his time behind bars. Back in September, he shared that he’s got two new cars waiting for him on the outside. “Just orderd 2 ferrari’s off a jail call im real rich, make sure you make ha cover my name up before you keep the bitch #TheWaitIsOver #TheKingIsBack! #FreeTheBiggest,” he wrote at the time. Check out his comments on Lil Baby, Lil Durk, and Don Trip below.
Pooh Shiesty Shouts Out Lil Baby, Lil Durk, & Don Trip
Pooh Shiesty credits Lil Baby, Lil Durk & Don Trip for holding him down in prison https://t.co/3Yh0bOWXIA
Elsewhere in Shiesty’s conversation with Gillie and Wallo, he discussed his future plans for making music, his time in prison, what he misses most about home, and more. Be on the lookout for further updates on Shiesty’s sentence on HotNewHipHop.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are very clearly the most famous couple in the world right now. Although neither has explicitly revealed whether or not they are boyfriend and girlfriend, they continue to be the talk of the town. Overall, Swift dominates the camera time whenever she shows up to one of Travis’ games. Furthermore, she has been a good luck charm of sorts as the team always seems to win whenever she is in attendance. However, if she is not at the game, then the team underperforms.
Despite all of the good fortune, it is clear that this relationship is taking its toll a bit. Kelce’s family has had to suffer the brunt of the publicity. They never really asked for his and they were never able to expect it. However, they have been thrust into the spotlight. As TMZ reports, this has been extremely difficult for the family. Travis’ parents are overwhelmed, and so is his brother Jason.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 19: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts late in the game against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Despite this, they are seemingly willing to deal with all of it as Travis seems extremely happy. Not to mention, they have both offered their approval of Taylor. The only real issue here is that the publicity has made it difficult to live life normally. Moreover, they feel as though the Swifties are a bit unhinged. This has them worried that one of them could do something to Travis should the relationship go awry.
Hopefully, for them, the situation cools down as the novelty of it all wears off. Let us know what you think of this entire saga, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the sports world. We will be sure to keep you informed on all of your favorite athletes, musicians, and entertainers.
