On Monday, November 6, Jennifer Hudson stopped by Late Night With Seth Meyersand discussed becoming an EGOT winner, dressing as Missy Elliott for Halloween, and overcoming her fear of public speaking to successfully host The Jennifer Hudson Show. It was a lovely exchange, but Hudson saved the relationship talk for Gayle King and the CBS Mornings crew. Hudson’s love life is a point of interest (again) this week, as a viral Backgrid paparazzi photo of Hudson and Common — an Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar winner, for those keeping score at home — holding hands in New York City is making the rounds. So, are they dating?
Jennifer Hudson and rapper Common were spotted holding hands in New York City. https://t.co/zrIgvRiuBA
“Professional Jennifer is doing well,” King said toward the end of the five-plus-minute segment. “Personally, is Jennifer doing well? Word on the street is you’re very happy [and in] a very nice relationship.”
Hudson confirmed she is, indeed, “very happy” before King politely added the caveat that Hudson’s relationship is “with someone who shall remain nameless,” which earned a belly laugh from Hudson. That’s when co-host and former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson cut in more directly, saying, “So, you booed up?”
“Booed up?” Hudson responded. “Hmm, I think it’s more sophisticated than ‘booed up.’” Burleson pressed on with brave investigative journalism to further clarify whether Hudson is in a “situationship” or “entanglement,” to which Hudson said, “It’s definitely not an entanglement. That’s for sure!”
Dating rumors around Common and Hudson started bubbling in August 2022, shortly after news broke that they would be starring in the action-thriller Breathe. Hudson more or less shut the rumor mill down in September 2022. She told Entertainment Tonight, “People create their narratives of it, and it’s like, OK, you know, how you feel. We shot a film together, and he played my husband. We gotta eat in between those moments.”
To Hudson’s point, they were photographed together at Nobu in Malibu, California this February (as noted by People), and then, TMZ asked Hudson about it again this August. Hudson expertly side-stepped the question by saying, “Rumors say a lot of things, but he’s a beautiful man. I will give you that. That’s for certain.” Within the same report, TMZ relayed that unnamed sources told the outlet Common and Hudson had “been together for months.”
Neither Common nor Hudson have explicitly publicly confirmed that they are dating each other, but this week’s hand-holding and talk-show giddiness are the most convincing clues in our evidence pile.
Missy Elliott is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Tonight’s Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony has honored a truly stacked list of musical legends for 2023. During the show, Chaka Khan received a heartfelt tribute as one of the inductees. Other musicians like HER, Sia, Common, and Jazmine Sullivan welcomed her with the award.
Sullivan led Chaka Khan’s induction speech — giving kind words to one of her biggest inspirations. “That voice, as raw as it is sweet, as sensual as it is soulful, has guided us through good times and bad, through meet-ups and breakups, through desire and despair, through hard times and higher love,” Sullivan said, according to Rolling Stone. “Chaka’s voice will never get lost among her peers or fade in the background, her tone stands alone. Everything about Chaka is fire.”
She also shared a story about how Khan was there for Sullivan’s mother when she went into remission for cancer.
From there, HER, Sia, and Common all appeared at different times to perform a blend of Khan’s songs. Common did “I Feel For You,” and HER played stuff from Khan’s time in Rufus with “Ain’t Nobody” and “Sweet Thing.” Sia closed out the medley with “I’m Every Woman,” according to the publication.
Check out a video from Chaka Khan’s induction tribute here.
No ID’s impressive resume speaks for itself, as he has produced countless hits. The legendary producer and former MC has played an important role in shaping some of the greatest voices in hip hop and R&B. Since 1992, he has produced countless classics for legendary rappers and singers. He also is responsible for crafting early hits for the big names of today. With his label ARTium Recordings, No ID also has helped develop many careers, including the likes of Jhené Aiko, Vince Staples, and Snoh Aalegra. Additionally, he was also a member of the Cocaine 80’s collective alongside James Fauntleroy and other like-minded musicians.
With a vast catalog of classic beats, No ID has maintained his legacy. Today, we will be taking a deep dive into the producer’s seven most unforgettable productions. These selections include songs solely produced by No ID and exclude his countless co-productions. Take a look at the list below.
No ID’s working relationship with Common runs deep. The two first united back in 1992 to release Can I Borrow A Dollar?, the Chicago rapper’s debut album under the name Common Sense. The album marked No ID’s first production credits and a fruitful relationship that continued further. No ID eventually produced both Common’s The Dreamer/The Believer and Nobody’s Smiling albums in their entirety, as well as the majority of One Day It’ll All Make Sense. He also produced Common’s 1994 album, Resurrection, which included “I Used to Love H.E.R.” An all-time hip hop classic, Common spits a love letter to hip hop over a jazzy boom bap beat. Out of the many songs that the two created together, “I Used to Love H.E.R.” remains their most significant collaboration and one of No ID’s most unforgettable productions.
JAY-Z – “D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)” (2009)
No ID has a track record of making beats for contentious songs within hip hop culture. Perhaps the most memorable is his 2009 collaboration with JAY-Z that declared the “Death of Auto-Tune.” The song criticized the popular use of auto-tune in modern music. “No ID on the track, let the story begin,” Jay says before starting his first verse over a saxophone-heavy beat with a hard-hitting drum break.
“D.O.A.” was quite polarizing. It garnered reactions from artists who took offense, the many rappers who remixed the track, and T-Pain, who later joined Jay on stage during a live performance of the song. Some of No ID’s later productions also started massive dialogues within hip hop, including Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar, and Jay Electronica’s “Control.” There was also JAY-Z’s “The Story of OJ,” which Pusha T repurposed into a lethal diss track with “The Story of Adidon.”
Rick Ross feat. Cee-Lo Green – “Tears Of Joy” (2010)
Rick Ross started “Tears of Joy” with a shout-out to No ID, just like JAY-Z did on “D.O.A.” A highlight from Teflon Don, which many consider to be his magnum opus, “Tears of Joy” sees Rick Ross at his most reflective. The soulful and slowly-building instrumental brings the best out of Rozay, resulting in one of the most emotional moments of his discography. He looks back at his journey, crying joyfully at his success. The powerful chorus from Cee-Lo Green takes the song to another level, complementing the No ID production. The gorgeous instrumental is one of the producer’s most memorable beats. It was later repurposed by Slaughterhouse for the 14-minute “Truth or Truth, Pt. 1.”
Nas – “Daughters” (2012)
While Salaam Remi handled most of the production on Nas’s Life is Good album, No ID also made sizable contributions, producing six tracks. Among the tracklist was the Grammy-nominated single “Daughters.” A mature song about watching his daughter grow up, Nas speaks to fathers with daughters and addresses his own shortcomings as a parent. The track’s soulful production evokes the emotional transparency of the lyrics, making for one of Nas’s best tracks and one of No ID’s most unforgettable productions.
Vince Staples feat. Snoh Aalegra – “Jump Off The Roof” (2015)
No ID played an integral role in Vince Staples’s early career, producing most of his Shyne Coldchain II mixtape and his single, “Hands Up.” He also handles the majority of the production on Summertime ‘06, the debut album from the Long Beach rapper and former ARTium signee. Among its 20-song tracklist is “Jump Off the Roof,” a No ID-produced banger that ponders one’s addictions. Snoh Aalegra, another ARTium signee, appears on the track as well. The hectic production of “Jump Off the Roof” brings the best out of Vince, resulting in one of his most exciting tracks.
Rihanna – “Higher” (2016)
No ID and Rihanna have worked together on multiple occasions, but their greatest and most memorable collaboration comes from 2016’s ANTI. “Higher” is one of Rihanna’s most vulnerable moments and greatest vocal performances. Thanks to No ID’s cinematic production, Rihanna delivers one of her best ballads. The minimal strings and elegant piano dance around her vocals as she belts every word. “Higher” was eventually sampled for Jay Electronica’s “Flux Capacitor” from A Written Testimony, an album on which No I.D. also produced.
JAY-Z – “4:44” (2017)
After years of prolific collaborations, JAY-Z and No ID came together for 4:44, Jay’s most personal work to date. While Jay’s emotionally transparent lyricism fueled the album’s substance, No ID’s unique approach to production clearly inspired its artistic direction. “I began to play the samples like I would play an instrument,” he told Rolling Stone about the album’s creation. A sample-heavy album, 4:44’s use of soul and jazz records helped emphasize the lyrical content.
The album’s title track is a standout moment that sees JAY-Z openly apologizing to Beyoncé for his infidelity and trying to be a better husband. The looped sample of Hannah Williams & The Affirmations’ “Late Nights & Heartbreak” accentuates Jay’s vulnerability. “I’m never gonna treat you like I should,” the sample cries as it relates to the somber tone of the verses. With an unforgettable beat from No ID, “4:44” acts as the album’s focal point and is one of JAY-Z’s most powerful songs.
On this day in 1992, Chicago Hip-Hop legend Common, who was known as “Common Sense,” released his debut LP Can I Borrow A Dollar? Common delivered a debut that can be set apart from any other album he’s released. As one of Chicago’s first mainstream Hip Hop albums, this album exhibits an unorthodox approach to conscious rap. With very little connection to the boom-bap scene thriving in New York, Common was able to forge his unique style and stand out among a sea of Afrocentric, for-the-cause MCs, subsequently putting Chi-Town on the map.
It was Common’s isolation and hunger that drove this project to be as prolific as it is. After winning the title of ‘Unsigned Hype’ from The Source Magazine, Common quickly rose to the ranks of new artists. His unique status brought him a record deal and the ability to take his out-of-pocket flow and poetic wordplay to the mainstream. The simple production from his four-headed beat machine of No ID, Twilite Tone, and The Beatnuts was the perfect alley-oop for Common to showcase his lyrical prowess. In no way could the instrumental outshine anything Common was saying, creating a full album. Along with the lack of any “big name” features, that proved that this album was the beginning of a bright and illustrious career.
Commercially and critically, the project was slept on. Only peaking at#70 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop charts and selling well under platinum standards, this album was underappreciated until Common had officially proved himself as one of the greats. The album’s singles “Take it EZ,” “Breaker 1/9”, and “Sound by the Pound” were all top 10 hits on the Rap charts but had very little crossover success. However, this album is retrospectively loved, appreciated, and recognized as a Golden Era classic. Can I Borrow A Dollar? was a peek into the future. Common’s immense success in household name stems from his ability to go against the tide without ruffling any feathers. He stands out while simultaneously fitting in, and today we celebrate his debut.
On this day in Hip Hop history Chicago legend, Common, released his sophomore LP Resurrection. Produced completely by No I.D., this album was a fitting follow up to Common’s debut Can I Borrow A Dollar.
Structurally, the album was split down the middle into two sections. The first half was the “East Side of Stony” and the second half was the “West Side of Stony”. Stony Island Avenue is a street that run’s through the South Side of Chicago, where Common grew up. Throughout the album, Common continued to relate his themes and lyrics to himself, his past, and his surroundings in Chicago creating a very introspective experience.
This album also features one of Common’s most controversial singles “I Used to Love H.E.R.”. As Resurrection‘s lead single, “I Used to Love H.E.R.” was an ode to golden era Hip Hop. The song in it’s entirety is a metaphor in which Common relates Hip Hop to a girl who loses her innocence after being enticed by the materialistic side of life. The acronym “H.E.R” actually stood for “Hip Hop in its essence is real”. In the song, Common explains how Hip Hop culture is being destroyed by gangsta rap culture (which was centered around violence, materialism, and misogyny according to him). This opinion of course upset the West Coast, especially rap legend Ice Cube, who felt it was a personal attack on his brand of music. He in turn responded with the single “Westside Slaughterhouse” featuring Westside Connection.
Commercially, the album was a marginal hit peaking at #179 on the Billboard 200. It showed a growth in sales from his debut and prompted the success of the coming album, one Day It’ll All Make Sense.
Kamala Harris recently marked the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with a high-profile celebration. The event, coordinated by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Live Nation Urban, was designed to recognize the genre’s profound impact on American culture. Nonetheless, some fans have expressed skepticism, perceiving the Vice President’s involvement as an attempt to pander to […]
Vic Mensa officially shared an updated tracklist for his forthcoming sophomore album VICTOR (out this Friday). The new project will include features from Omari Hardwick, Jay Electronica, Common, Rapsody, DIXSON, Lekan, Ant Clemons, D Smoke, and Mr. Hudson. Earlier this week, the multi-platinum selling, GRAMMY-nominated rapper/producer also released an additional single from the record titled “LVLN UP” as part of the NFL and Roc Nation’s Songs of the Season initiative through the NFL’s Inspire Change social justice platform. Vic’s song is the newest addition to the multi-tier, season-long initiative that will highlight superstars and emerging artists of all genres. States Vic, ““LVLN UP” is a centerpiece of the VICTOR album. I made it in Ghana using samples of Ebo Taylor, a highlife pioneer from the 60s & 70s that was a contemporary of Fela Kuti. I produced the record and wrote the hook out there, but it wasn’t until I got locked up in early 2022 that I really got the inspiration to complete the record. It’s a super anthemic joint so to have it used in NFL Songs Of The Season works perfectly.” To celebrate the project, Vic Mensa will be hosting an album release event in his hometown of Chicago labeled as the “The Mensa Melee” in which Vic will set up a boxing ring and put on a boxing exhibition soundtracked by the album. Vic and Omari gave fans a first look at the event in the latest trailer shared on Vic’s Instagram account.
VICTOR TRACKLIST:
1. Sunday Morning Intro (feat. Omari Hardwick)
2. Victor
3. RUMORS
4. LVLN UP
5. The Weeping Poets (feat. Jay Electronica)
6. Swear
7. $WISH (feat. G-Eazy & Chance The Rapper)
8. sunset on the low end
9. STRAWBERRY LOUIS VUITTON (feat. Thundercat & Maeta)
10. $outhside Story (feat. Common)
11. Law of Karma
12. Blue Eyes
13. Blue Eyes (Interlude) (feat. Rapsody)
14. Sunday Evening Reprise (feat. DIXSON & Lekan)
15. all i kno
16. Ble$$ings (feat. Ant Clemons & D Smoke)
17. 14 Days (feat. Mr. Hudson)
18. Eastside Girl (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) (Bonus Track)
In a little under two days, Vic Mensa is finally releasing his second studio album, more than six years after his solo debut. He’s been rolling out Victor since January, when he shared the first single, “Strawberry Louis Vuitton” with Thundercat. Since then, he’s released a music video for “Swish” with Chance The Rapper and G-Eazy and a trailer for the project inspired by the world of modern art. He also joined Chance at a series of shows celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Rapper’s career-making mixtape, Acid Rap, opening with a salute to Vic’s own early fan favorite, Innanetape.
Below, you can find everything we know about Victor ahead of its release.
Release Date:
Victor is due on September 15 via Roc Nation Records.
Features:
In addition to longtime collaborator Chance The Rapper, G-Eazy, and Thundercat, the album will include appearances from actor Omari Hardwick, Chicago rap veteran Common, New Orleans hip-hop mystic Jay Electronica (incidentally, Vic received decidedly less backlash for Jay’s inclusion than fellow Windy City native Noname got), singers Ant Clemons, Dixson, Lekan, and Ty Dolla Sign, and Inglewood indie rap champion D Smoke.
Tracklist:
1. “Sunday Morning Intro” Feat. Omari Hardwick
2. “Victor”
3. “Rumors”
4. “Lvln Up”
5. “The Weeping Poets” Feat. Jay Electronica
6. “Swear”
7. “$WISH” Feat. G-Eazy & Chance The Rapper
8. “Sunset On The Low End”
9. “Strawberry Louis Vuitton” Feat. Thundercat & Maeta
10. “$outhside Story” Feat. Common
11. “Law Of Karma”
12. “Blue Eyes”
13. “Blue Eyes (Interlude)”
14. “Sunday Evening Reprise” Feat. Dixson & Lekan
15. “All I Kno”
16. “Ble$$ings” Feat. Ant Clemons & D Smoke
17. “14 Days”
18. “Eastside Girl (Bonus Track)” Feat. Ty Dolla $ign
Singles:
Previously released tracks include “Eastside Girl (Bonus Track),” “Blue Eyes,” and “Lvln Up.”
Tour:
While a tour has yet to be announced, Vic has a performance with Chance later this month:
LL Cool J has been know to embrace the artists under him. His generosity extends far beyond music. The rapper recently blessed Common with a limited edition gift box. In a video posted to his Instagram on Monday (August 21), the Chicago native is visibly overjoyed as he unboxes the package. The box contained a few luxury cigars, trinkets, as well a gold chain. The custom-made jewelry is from LL Cool J’s wife, Simone Smith.
“Shoutout to LL and Simone, thank y’all,” he said in the video. “I appreciate being on the F.O.R.C.E Tour — it’s a[n] honor. LL, you one of the greatest, man, for real. One of the reasons I do what I do. He added in the caption: “Thank you @llcoolj for this gift. But also, thank you for sharing your talents with us. You are one of them 1’s.”
Common isn’t the only one to bear witness to LL’s generosity. While appearing on LL’s episode of Paramount’s Behind The Music, Eminem shared his own story about the rap pioneer. He was also gifted a custom-made chain by the rapper/actor. “Since I was a little kid I always wanted a chain,” Em explains, speaking on LL Cool J’s iconic gold chain worn in the “I’m Bad” video. “I was recording with Rick Rubin, and I was like, ‘Yo, can you ask LL where he got his chains from?’ So he had these made and sent them to me.”
In other related news, LL Cool J recently shared his thoughts about older rappers considering retirement. During a recent appearance on Sway’s Universe, the iconic pioneer shared his thoughts on ageism in rap. Furthermore, he believes that music artists don’t have to flirt with retirement in the same way athletes do. “Hip Hop is not a sport,” he began. “It’s like playing guitar or the horn…” He continued: “So I don’t have to stop doing what I do and stop recording at 34.” LL added, “I hear artists all the time flirting with retirement, and that’s really insecurity. Because they don’t know whether or not they’re gonna be able to continue on in their careers.”
In a new interview with Men’s Health, Common looked back at some stories throughout his life and career. One of which was when Michael Jordan critiqued his basketball skills after watching him play in the 2010 NBA All-Star Celebrity game.
“I had met Michael before because I was a ball boy for the Bulls when I was a kid,” Common said. “He doesn’t remember me from those days, but he also had come to one of my shows in Chicago at the House Of Blues. Mike was watching my show, but I didn’t let people know he was there ’cause he was up in the balcony. Until my last song.”
“When I did, everybody just watched him and just forgot I was on stage,” he added.
Sometime later, the two talked about Common’s role in the NBA game.
“I just played in the celebrity game and hit the last free throws to seal the game,” Common said. “In this picture, when I greeted him, he told me to stick to rapping. He grounded me in this picture, for sure.”
“I couldn’t believe that he didn’t recognize that my game was actually a good game,” he joked.
