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Andre 3000 Says His ‘New Blue Sun’ Album Doesn’t Count Towards His Contract With Epic Records

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Andre 3000 Reveals He Auditioned for 'Fast & Furious' Film

Andre 3000 Reveals He Auditioned for 'Fast & Furious' Film

André 3000 recently revealed a surprising detail about his long-awaited debut solo album, New Blue Sun. Despite its critical acclaim and a nomination for Album of the Year at the 2025 Grammys, the project doesn’t count toward fulfilling his contract with Epic Records. In an interview with journalist Touré, the OutKast icon shared his initial confusion and eventual understanding of this contractual stipulation.

“They congratulated me on the process, they congratulated me on what the work was, but contractually, it’s very interesting. My label will not count this album against my contract — this is as a solo artist,” André said, referencing his unconventional flute-based project.

After consulting his lawyer, André learned that the stipulation dates back to the 1970s, when some artists tried to fulfill their record deals by submitting low-effort or unconventional material. Labels countered this by requiring new works to align with the artist’s previous output.

“I didn’t understand it at first and we tried to find ways around it,” he admitted. “But my attorney explained it in this way: it was invented in the ’70s maybe, when artists were trying to get out of their deals so they were just pretty much turning in anything. It says, ‘The next recording has to be 90 percent like the recording before it.’”

He added, “It stops you from turning in 10 tracks of handclaps and saying, ‘This is my album.’ And I get it! But Sylvia [Rhone] and the team have been so supportive. They know I’m not turning in a handclap album — they get it. But as a business, this is the stance they took.”

Despite the setback, André isn’t rushing to leave Epic Records. He remains focused on creating music and has confirmed that he’s already working on another album. While keeping details under wraps, he shared that the new project is well underway.

“Oh, for sure,” he said when asked about a follow-up to New Blue Sun. “At this point, I’m just trying to keep the momentum. There’s such a thing as creative momentum. The next stuff is very interesting, too. We’re almost a third — or halfway — into it.” However, he noted there’s no set release date. “I don’t know when it will be ready. Who knows.”

For now, fans can continue to celebrate André 3000’s latest artistic evolution while eagerly awaiting the next chapter in his legendary career.

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L.A. Reid Passed On Signing Kanye West, John Legend, & More Out Of Spite, Lawsuit Claims

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Drew Dixon, who is suing L.A. Reid for sexual assault, says the former CEO of Epic Records turned down signing Kanye West, John Legend, and more artists she suggested meeting with due to spite stemming from her rejection of his sexual advances. She explained the allegations in court documents obtained by AllHipHop.

“Following the second sexual assault in Mr. Reid’s car, Ms. Dixon intensified her efforts to avoid Mr. Reid,” Dixon’s lawyers explained. “However, Mr. Reid persisted in trying to corner her alone by inviting her to meetings in his hotel room night after night. When Ms. Dixon resisted his efforts, Mr. Reid grew angry and increasingly hostile towards her, as well as to her artists, and her ideas. This was a drastic reversal from Mr. Reid’s enthusiasm about her creative taste and instincts over the years, and harm came from the fact that Mr. Reid would directly respond to Ms. Dixon’s rejection of his sexual advances by punishing the artists Ms. Dixon had already signed or by blocking the artists she attempted to sign. This included future superstars like Kanye West, John Legend and Toya.”

Read More: L.A. Reid Sued By Former Employee For Alleged Sexual Assault: Report

L.A. Reid Speaks At Culture Creators Awards Brunch

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 23: L.A. Reid speaks onstage after receiving the Icon Honoree. Award at the Culture Creators Awards Brunch at The Beverly Hilton on June 23, 2022 in Beverly Hills. California. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Culture Creators)

Overall, Dixon is accusing Reid of sexually assaulting her twice while they worked together at Arista Records. She cites sexual battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and gender-motivated violence. With the lawsuit, Dixon says the allegations are covered by New York’s Adult Survivors Act. “While Defendant’s first false imprisonment of Plaintiff took place in flight on his private plane, the acts that made this unlawful confinement possible took place in Manhattan within the Court’s territorial jurisdiction in the Southern District of New York,” Dixon’s lawyers said.

They further argued: “As described in the Complaint … the planning, scheduling and booking for the Arista Records retreat was completed by Arista Records staff based in Manhattan at an address located in the Southern District of New York. Karen Kwak, the Manhattan-based administrator who deceived Ms. Dixon into believing she and Mr. Reid would be traveling to Puerto Rico with a group of executives, told her of this fake plan at the Arista Records office in Manhattan, which is located in the Southern District of New York. Thus, a substantial part of the acts associated with Mr. Reid’s first false imprisonment of Ms. Dixon occurred within the Southern District of New York—without which the confinement would not have been possible.” It’s unclear what Dixon is seeking in damages. Be on the lookout for further updates on L.A. Reid as well as Drew Dixon’s lawsuit on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: T-Boz Calls Out L.A. Reid & Says He Abandoned TLC After Left Eye’s Death

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Mase Recalls Why He Brought Cam’ron To Biggie Instead Of Diddy

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Mase and Cam’ron shared an emotional moment during an episode of their sports talk show, It Is What It Is, on Thursday. Mase reflected on his decision to bring Cam’ron to The Notorious B.I.G. at the beginning of his career rather than Diddy. He explained that he wanted the best for Cam’ron.

“When you had your record deal, why did you take me to Biggie Smalls and not Bad Boy,” Cam asked. Mase answered: “It’s almost gonna bring me to tears to say this. Being that I saw you as such a good friend, I wanted to put you with somebody I knew [would do right by you].” From there, Cam’ron added: “Thank you man, I really appreciate that. I don’t want to get emotional in here.” Mase continued: “I knew Biggie would do right by you. I thought he would do [the right thing].”

Read More: Cam’ron And Mase Star In New “Only Money” Music Video Teaser

Mase & Cam’ron Perform At The Apollo Theater

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 28: Jadakiss, Cam’ron, and Ma$e perform Live At The Apollo Theater on January 28, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

After the meeting, Cam eventually signed with B.I.G. and Lance “Un” Rivera’s Undeas Recordings and Epic Records. Cam returned the favor over two decades later by bringing Mase on to It Is What It Is. He discussed that decision during an interview with Good Day New York, earlier this year.

Mase Recalls Introducing Cam’ron To Biggie

 
 
 
 
 
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“Mase got me my first record deal, ever. So doing this show and creating this show and having him be a part of it, it felt like I’m giving back to him for helping me even be an entertainer,” he said at the time. “I may not have been where I’m at if [Mase] didn’t take me to Biggie Smalls [The Notorious B.I.G.] and get me my first record deal… I wanted to pay him back, and hopefully, this show will do that.” Check out Mase and Cam’ron’s latest conversation above.

Read More: Cam’ron Explains Why He Brought Ma$e On For “It Is What It Is”

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Tyla Yaweh Unleashes New Album, “Heart Full Of Rage 2”

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Tyla Yaweh has a lot of musical talents and styles, and there’s no better indicator of that than his new album, Heart Full of Rage 2. Moreover, the 16-track project boasts forays into indie rock, rage music, drum and bass, alternative, trap, and more, making it quite a dynamic listen from front to back. Of course, each listener will have their own specific niche of the rapper and singer’s styles that they latch onto. However, the album experience is actually a fun ride to go on regardless of whether you just like one or a couple of his sounds. It’s varied enough to keep your attention and throw you some left hooks, whereas there are some similar tracks next to each other that serve to compliment that phase of the project.

Furthermore, the Orlando MC and vocalist shows off a lot of catchy lyricism and melodic writing here. For example, there’s the unsurprisingly bright and breezy “SUMMER VIBES,” which benchmarks a more rock-oriented section of the tracklist. Others, like “City Of Dreams” with Chris Brown, take a more R&B-influenced and melody-heavy approach to the trap sound, and there’s a lot of chemistry on that song in particular. Tyla Yaweh also tapped Ty Dolla $ign, DeJ Loaf, Toosii, and Yung Bleu for charismatic and fitting features on their respective cuts.

Read More: Tyla Yaweh: Embracing A Genre-Blending Sound

Tyla Yaweh’s Heart Full of Rage 2: Stream

Meanwhile, with other recently released material that didn’t even make the album, the 28-year-old has a lot of greatness to share. What’s most impressive about it is that, despite the variety of songs here, it all still feels like a cohesive experience. Considering that, let us know what some of your favorite songs from this album are down in the comments. If you haven’t heard Heart Full of Rage 2 yet, you can find it on your preferred streaming service and check out the tracklist below. Also, log back into HNHH for the latest news and updates on Tyla Yaweh, and for more great music each week.

Tracklist
1. Release Ya Spirits
2. Bad Luck
3. Up In Flames
4. SUMMER VIBES
5. Touchdown
6. Tommy Lee 2
7. Hips Don’t Lie (feat. Yung Bleu)
8. City Of Dreams (feat. Chris Brown)
9. Stuck (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
10. Lighters Up (feat. DeJ Loaf)
11. Will I See You Again
12. Wake Up
13. Rockstar Nights (feat. Toosii)
14. 1000x
15. Sea Sick
16. New York Ave

Read More: Tyla Yaweh Recruits PnB Rock & Trippie Redd To “Do No Wrong”

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Nicki Minaj’s Next Album Gets Update From Epic Records’ VP Of A&R

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Gather up, queens, because Nicki Minaj is back in the studio. Fly Ty, the Vice President of A&R, took to instagram to announce what has been cooking in the kitchen. He excitedly announced on his story, “just got off the phone with my sister,” followed by “this move is about to be so big for queens… we’re bringing it back to the drawing board.” The Barbie rapper dropped the compilation album Queen Radio: Volume 1 last year, featuring some of her most iconic songs over her career. “Beez In The Trap” and “Barbie Dreams” are included alongside older hits like “Super Bass” and “Starships.” Of course, the curated radio also features Minaj’s newest single, “Super Freaky Girl.”

While we are unsure of what to expect from the Trinidadian rapper, Fly seems to be alluding to a new project with Minaj. And although we have little details as to what this secret project may be, we do know that she’ll be releasing the heat as per usual. In her September 2022 interview with i-D, Minaj stated, “if I never rap again, I will still leave this Earth an icon.” She expanded, “I guess there is a little less fear now at this point in my career because I realize that my fans aren’t going anywhere. I’ve paid my dues.” Minaj has left her Barbiez in anticipation of her next grand release.

Minaj To Release A New Project Soon

Minaj’s last studio album, Queen, dropped in 2018 and was met with primarily positive reviews. Kathy Iandoli wrote for Billboard, “Queen exists to exemplify Nicki’s proven longevity, which is enough of a rarity to finally declare her as well-deserved rap royalty.” This reflection of Minaj’s impactful career as a female rapper continues to validate her ability to turn this upcoming project into gold.

Queen, which was Minaj’s fourth studio album, released 4 years after her previous drop of The Pinkprint. Now, almost 5 years after the 2018 album, Nicki is overdue for her next project. The 40-year-old rapper told i-D “I feel like whenever I’m happy, I deliver the best music. And in order for me to deliver the best music for my album – which is coming out soon – I have to tap back into the essence of hip-hop.” Stay tuned on HNHH for all of the latest updates on Nicki Minaj’s upcoming album.

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Bobby Shmurda Is Officially Independent After Parting Ways With Epic Records

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Bobby Shmurda label
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It’s hard to believe that Bobby Shmurda has been a fixture in hip-hop for nearly eight years and still has yet to release his debut album, but it’s true. Sure, at least part of that is due to his extended stint at New York’s Clinton Correctional Facility after being convicted of conspiracy to murder, weapons possession, and reckless endangerment in 2014, but he was released from prison in February 2021. The flurry of positive press he received should have been the launching point for at least an EP or a mixtape, but the moment came and went without much new music.

Bobby may soon get the chance to begin releasing music again, though, as Bobby announced his departure from Epic Records on Instagram over the weekend. Bobby signed to Epic in 2014 at the height of the mania for his viral single “Hot N****,” but had expressed his frustration with the imprint since being released from prison. In a prior post on Instagram, explained, “I ain’t been in charge of my music since I was 19 years old and I just turned 27 and honestly idk when sh*t dropping. So don’t ask me shit go ask them mf’s since they wanna control everything!!!!!!!”

However, his more recent post was much more upbeat. “I just sign my release papers,” he wrote. “Also jus made ah milly today I can’t wait to drop.” He noted that he was shooting his first video as an independent artist and would be celebrating his newfound freedom into the week. With control over his music regained, perhaps the comeback we’ve all been waiting for can finally take place.