Exclusives

Happy 53rd Birthday To Wu Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killaaaaaahhh!!!

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On this day in 1970, rapper/actor Dennis Coles aka Ghostface Killah was born. The chamber of eccentricity comes almost exclusively from Tony Starks, who has been compared to the likes of Slick Rick with his signature, six inch high eagle bracelet and other excessively gaudy jewels.

At the foundation of the Wu saga, Ghost’s face was unseen and wasn’t revealed until the Chef’s Only Built For Cuban Linx classic “Purple Tape”. With ten solid solo albums under his belt, Ghostdini continues to impact the game along with his WTC family.

The Source Magazine would like to send a super shout out to the “Ironman” of Hip Hop on his degree day! Enjoy!

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YG Announces European Dates for ‘Red Cup’ Tour

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YG has announced The Red Cup Tour dates in Europe. The tour will begin in Copenhagen on June 27th, 2023, the tour will visit eight European cities, including Stockholm, London, Paris, and more.

READ MORE: YG Delivers Freestyle Over Nipsey Hussle “Hussle In The House” for L.A. Leakers

After YG’s most recent album, I Got Issues, was released on September 30th, 2023, via Def Jam, The Red Cup Tour was launched. It debuted at #12 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Billboard list, and its lead single, “Toxic,” peaked at #1 on the US radio charts for rhythmic songs. The “Red Cup Tour” kicked up on Jan.20 in the US and made 17 stops before coming to an end on Feb. 23 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Cities visited included Seattle, Los Angeles, Detroit, and more.

READ MORE: YG Sells Out Iconic Kia Form and Brings Special Guests for Hometown Show of ‘The Red Cup Tour’

In addition to selling out the storied Kia Forum during his US tour, YG also performed with DJ Mustard, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Tyga, Roddy Rich, Ty Dolla $ign, and Blxst as special guests. YG is expanding his 4Hunnid footwear empire outside of the music industry, and he recently unveiled his green flame “BLOCK RUNNER” with a white upper and a red stripe through the heel.

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YG: ‘Red Cup Tour’ 2023 TOUR DATES:
Tue, Jun 27 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Rumors
Thur, June 29 – Stockholm, Sweden – Lollapalooza
Sat, Jul 01 – Grafenhainchen, Germany – Splash! Festival
Mon, Jul 03 – Dublin, Ireland – Academy
Tue, Jul 04 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz Manchester
Thur, Jul 06 –London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
Fri, Jul 07 –Portimao, Portugal – Rolling Loud
Sun, Jul 09 –Paris, France – Din Dada
Tue, Jul 11 –Cologne, Germany – Carlswerk Victoria

Tickets are available here.

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The Source Magazine Remembers Chris Lighty Ten Years Later On His Birthday

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Even though Baby Chris didn’t recognize his own born day, we do by celebrating his works even after his untimely death.

Today would’ve been Chris Lighty’s 55th birthday, but he was raised in a very structured Jehovah’s Witness household so he never celebrated birthdays or holidays. Chris became the most influential hip hop manager through his management and marketing imprint, Violator. Violator was the real Empire before Lee Daniels hit series. The impressive roster included Missy Elliot, P. Diddy, 5O Cent, Foxy Brown, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Mariah Carey, Mobb Deep, and more.

To the outside world, Chris Lighty was an alluring powerful executive who negotiated unprecedented deals with his partner, Mona Scott-Young. Outside of his insane work ethic he had layers about him that made him a remarkable human being, friend, mentor and support system to many people.

Through Violator management, Chris and Mona became the cerebrum of hip hop, developing and sustaining careers while structuring lucrative marketing and branding deals that helped grow hip hop into becoming a viable entity- cementing its place in popular culture.

“Hip Hop was everything to Chris,” says Mona.

“I’m so proud of what Chris has done for our culture. I’m proud that the young guy that I sat next to on a stoop in the Bronx was able to conceptualize a dream and really make it happen.  Everything we sat out to do we did.  We stayed focused and accomplished it all.  So much of who I am today has everything to do with the fact that Chris had a dream. My relationships, my ability to leverage the success of hip hop into mainstream culture and our ability to provide opportunities to others came from Chris. We locked arms, came together and his dream became my dream.“

Sadly, those dreams were cut short when Chris Lighty was found shot to death in an apartment in NYC on August 30, 2012, from an apparent suicide. He will continue to be missed by the Hip Hop community.

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Today In Hip Hop History: Rawkus Records’ ‘Lyricist Lounge Volume One’ Turns 25 Years Old!

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On May 5th, 1998 Rawkus Records released the first installment of the Lyricist Lounge albums titled Lyricist Lounge, Volume One, which showcased New York. It was a double-disc compilation that featured De La Soul, Mos Def, Q-Tip, Tash of Tha Alkaholiks, Punch & Words, O.C, Ras Kass, Black Thought, Common, Pharoahe Monch, Saul Williams, Kool Keith, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek, Bahamadia, Rah Digga, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Jurassic 5, KRS-One, Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, Last Emperor, and Company Flow.

This CD is one of those that you don’t get often. It had incredible and intensely clever wordplay, and was great for the culture because of the positive support it showed for hip hop. Back then everyone thought hip-hop was rap music and rap music was gangsta. It made people think twice before making an assumption like that. Any hip-hop purist who enjoys freestyles and great rhymes that make you think then this is the album for you.

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Today in Hip-Hop History: GangStarr’s Third LP ‘Daily Operation’ Dropped 31 Years Ago

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Nothing beats a classic rap record and a few MCs were dropping them on the regular quite like legendary ’90s rap duo Gang Starr. The group, consisting of Guru holding things down on the mic and DJ Premier handling the head-bumping production, dropped six albums in their career before calling it quits in 2003.

While a reunion album was reportedly planned, unfortunately, Guru passed away on April 19, 2010, before the project could be completed or properly executed overall. While the Hip-Hop community definitely took a blow due to the loss, the work they did create while recording together influenced the genre in ways that we’re still seeing today. One LP that specifically represents Gang Starr’s influential legacy is their third album Daily Operation, which celebrates its 29th anniversary today.

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Comprised of jazz-tinged samples and lyrics that illustrated life in the streets of New York City during the early ’90s, Daily Operation saw Gang Starr striding smoothly towards the legendary status that we now place the group in today. The project is East Coast-inspired through and through, from recording the LP entirely at the dearly missed D&D Studios on West 37th Street in Midtown Manhattan all the way to lamenting about Brooklyn on the opening track “The Place We Dwell.” Other standout cuts include “I’m The Man,” featuring the solely credited cameos by Group Home member Lil Dap and Jeru the Damaja, “B.Y.S.” — cleverly abbreviated for “Bust Yo’ Shit” — and the lead single “Ex Girl to Next Girl” that gave us one of the most 90s-looking music videos ever created.

The key to Gang Starr is that, while none of their albums ever crossed Top 5 status on the Billboard 200 — their highest placement happened in 1998 when Moment of Truth hit #6 — sales were never the thing that represented their effect on the game; the music always came first and foremost. Daily Operation received all sorts of critical acclaim nonetheless, and we even included it on our “100 Best Rap Albums” list for The Source’s 100th issue (January 1998). So, while it only reached #65 on the Billboard 200 and faired slightly better on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at #14, those numbers mean nothing when compared to the slick verses, smooth-yet-rugged instrumentals, and thought-provoking bars that still makes this album a certified classic almost three decades after its original release.

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50 Cent Announces ‘The Final Lap Tour’ in Celebration of 20th Anniversary of ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’

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In honor of the 20th anniversary of his groundbreaking debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, 50 Cent has planned a world tour. The Final Lap Tour, which is organized by Live Nation and sponsored by Sire Spirits, will make numerous stops in cities such as Toronto, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Houston, Amsterdam, Oslo, Paris, and many more around North America and Europe. Soon, more markets will be revealed.

The rap legend will play a variety of fan favorites and number-one singles on The Final Lap Tour, as well as a few songs that haven’t been performed live in decades. Additionally, Busta Rhymes, a special guest and longtime friend, will provide support on all dates of the tour, and Jeremih will provide support on all dates in North America. Additional special guests will be announced.

The North American portion of the tour will begin on Friday, July 21 at Salt Lake City, Utah’s Maverik Center, and the European leg will get underway on Thursday, September 28 at Amsterdam, Netherlands’ Ziggo Dome. There will be further announcements regarding dates in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and Europe.

North American Tickets: Verified Fan will be used for The Final Lap Tour to ensure more tickets get into the hands of fans. Fans in North America can register now through Sunday, May 7th at 11:59 PM ET for the Verified Fan presale CLICK HERE. Fans who are selected to receive an access code will be able to participate in the Verified Fan presale starting Wednesday, May 10th. Limited tickets will be sold during a general on sale starting Friday, May 12th at 10am local time at Ticketmaster.com while supplies last.

VIP Tickets: Fans can also access VIP Packages which may include premium tickets, VIP parking and exclusive access to a pre-show lounge, special entry, Sire Spirits bottle signings, access to afterparty events, and more. For VIP Package information, visit vipnation.com and for all other tour and ticket information, visit livenation.com.

European Tickets: Tickets will be available starting with local presales on Wednesday, May 10th at 10am local time and available to the general public on Friday, May 12th at 10am local time on 50Cent.com.

The full run of tour dates are available below.

THE FINAL LAP TOUR 2023 – NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

Fri Jul 21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Maverik Center

Sun Jul 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena

Tue Jul 25 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – STL

Thu Jul 27 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center

Fri Jul 28 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena

Sat Jul 29 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center

Mon Jul 31 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage

Wed Aug 02 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre

Thu Aug 03 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center

Sat Aug 05 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater

Sun Aug 06 – Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center

Tue Aug 08 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live

Wed Aug 09 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Fri Aug 11 – Hartford, CT – XFINITY Theatre

Sat Aug 12 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion

Sun Aug 13 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach

Tue Aug 15 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

Wed Aug 16 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion

Thu Aug 17 – Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre

Sat Aug 19 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre

Sun Aug 20 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre

Tue Aug 22 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Tuscaloosa Amphitheater

Thu Aug 24 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center

Fri Aug 25 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion

Sun Aug 27 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater

Tue Aug 29 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre

Wed Aug 30 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena

Thu Aug 31 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

Sat Sep 02 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre

Mon Sep 04 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center

Wed Sep 06 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater

Thu Sep 07 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

Fri Sep 08 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena

Sun Sep 10 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome

Mon Sep 11 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place

Wed Sep 13 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre

Fri Sep 15 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center

Sat Sep 16 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Sun Sep 17 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre

THE FINAL LAP TOUR 2023 – EUROPEAN TOUR DATES:

Thu Sep 28 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome

Fri Sep 29 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena

Sat Sep 30 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena

Wed Oct 4 – Oslo, Norway – Spektrum*

Thu Oct 5 – Trondheim, Norway – Spektrum*

Sat Oct 07 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena

Mon Oct 09 – Riga, Latvia – Arena Riga*

Wed Oct 11 – Lodz Poland – Atlas Arena

Sat Oct 14 – Berlin, Germany – Mercedes-Benz Arena

Sun Oct 15 – Oberhausen, Germany – Rudolf-Weber-Arena

Fri Oct 20 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion

Sat Oct 21 – Nice, France – Palais Nikaia

Sun Oct 22 – Milan, Italy – Mediolanum Forum

Tue Oct 24 – Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle

Wed Oct 25 – Mannheim, Germany – SAP Arena

Thu Oct 26 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National

Sat Oct 28 – Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena

Tue Oct 31 – Strasbourg, France – Zenith

Thu Nov 02 – Nantes, France – Zenith

Fri Nov 03 – Paris, France – La Defense Arena

Mon Nov 06 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena

Thu Nov 09 – Glasgow, Scotland – OVO Hydro

Fri Nov 10 – Manchester, England – AO Arena

Sat Nov 11 – London, England – The O2

Sun Nov 12 – Birmingham, England – Resorts World Arena

The post 50 Cent Announces ‘The Final Lap Tour’ in Celebration of 20th Anniversary of ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ appeared first on The Source.

Kevin Hart Praises Ice Cube: ‘He’s Such a Creative Mind’

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Kevin Hart Praises Ice Cube: ‘He’s Such a Creative Mind'

Kevin Hart surely loves Ice Cube. Pulling up on Jake Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, Kevin Hart connected with Jake on their experiences with the Hip-Hop icon before Hart dived into an outpour of compliments on the rapper.

“Cube may be one of the most genuine, kindest spirits that you can be around,” Hart said. He wants nothing but good for other people. He loves to see the people around him succeed. He’s such a creative mind.”

On that creativity, Ice Cube is producing and starring in an unscripted series about his Big 3 professional basketball league. Ice Cube’s BIG3 Basketball League is recognized as the first professional black-owned sports league. Unlike NBA games, BIG3 matches are half-court competitions in which the teams compete to reach 50 points and must win by at least two points with a 14-second shot clock.

Deadline Reports:

Ice Cube is teaming with Jesse Collins Entertainment on a sports docuseries revolving around his successful Big3 sports league. Ice Cube will star in and produce via his Cube Vision with Jesse Collins Entertainment.

The as-yet-untitled series will take an unprecedented look at the making of one of the fastest-growing new leagues in the United States, the Big3, as Ice Cube defies the NBA on its quest to become one of the biggest sports leagues in the world.

Described as Welcome to Wrexham and Cheer meets Basketball, the series will be dual-narrative following Cube and the challenges of building a new basketball league from the ground up, as well as the journey of one of the Big3 teams, as they navigate the ups and downs of a grueling season in pursuit of a national championship. Big3’s widely covered $1.2 billion lawsuit against Qatari investors will also be covered in the series.

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Today In Hip Hop History: Wu-Tang Clan’s Debut Single “Protect Ya Neck” Turns 30 Years Old!

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On this day in 1993, the legendary Wu-Tang Clan began their reign as one of the most powerful and influential rap groups in history by releasing their debut single, “Protect Ya Neck.” With this track, Wu-Tang took the rap game by storm with a style unheard and an attitude unseen. “Protect Ya Neck” set a tone in Hip Hop that shifted the genre toward a more hardcore, rugged sound.

Originally recorded in a different order with a completely different beat, group member RZA took the liberty to reconstruct the song in post-production to the goliath that we all know and love. According to him, all he needed was the vocals of the group. The original beat used was just a placeholder used to get the verses. RZA’s unique style also incorporated the kung-fu film dialogue and fought scenes throughout the track. This unique style of production became a trend for Wu-Tang Clan.

To clarify any confusion about who is who on the song, the order of verses is as follows: Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, U-God, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, RZA, & GZA. The single was first released independently through Wu-Tang Records and had “After the Laughter Comes Tears” as the B-side. Loud Records later re-released it with “Method Man” as the B-side. It sold 10,000 copies.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Wu-Tang Clan’s Debut Single “Protect Ya Neck” Turns 30 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.

Snoop Dogg to Celebrate 30th Anniversary of ‘Doggystyle’ with Two Shows at Hollywood Bowl

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Snoop Dogg is getting ready to take Doggystyle to the Hollywood Bowl. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of one of rap’s greatest albums, the Doggfather joins the Hollywood Bowl’s 2023 concert lineup, setting the 30th Anniversary of Doggystyle & More for June 27-28.

According to Billboard, numerous special guests will join the legendary rapper in celebrating the album. The ReCollective Orchestra will support the show, led by Derrick Hodge.

In November 1993, Calvin Broadus Jr. aka Snoop Doggy Dogg released his highly anticipated first album Doggystyle on Death Row Records. This was the label’s first full-length project by a solo artist, which was piggybacking on the success of Death Row’s last release, The Chronic, the Dr. Dre album where many had just heard Snoop for the first time.

Doggystyle, which was produced exclusively by Snoop’s mentor, Dr. Dre, huddled around the concept of the “dogg”, with the animated cover and cartoon insert of a street-wise hound that wanted by the opps and the “bitches” for his “doggystyle”, which of course, is a famous sex position.

Some of the album’s leading tracks include the x-rated “It Ain’t No Fun (If The Homies Can’t Have None)” featuring childhood friend Nate Dogg and then recently formed Dogg Pound, Daz and Kurupt, the Slick Rick ode “Lodi Dodi” and the world-famous alcoholic anthem “Gin And Juice”.

Even with a four mic rating, Source staff writer Reginald Dennis said that the album escaped the coveted Five Mic rating because he felt like it was “rushed”, but nonetheless, with the introduction of such a monumental artist coupled with the authenticity of the gang-ridden West Coast streets, this album is by far one of the most pivotal albums of the 90s, even before the East Coast/West Coast rivalry, which came at least two years later. Salute to Snoop, Dre, the Dogg Pound, The Lady Of Rage, RBX, Suge, and the rest of the legendary Death Row for putting together this classic album!

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Rihanna’s Met Gala Look Created at 3 a.m. Meeting, Had $25 Million in Cartier Jewels

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Rihanna's Met Gala Look Created at 3 a.m. Meeting, Had $25 Million in Cartier Jewels

Rihanna killed it on the red carpet of the Met Gala but don’t think that fit came easy. The superstar singer was up extremely late on Saturday, getting her fit right.

According to Page Six, Rihanna stayed up until 3 a.m. on Saturday getting her fit together, including $25 million in Cartier jewels.

You can see images of Rihanna below and more from the Met Gala here.

The post Rihanna’s Met Gala Look Created at 3 a.m. Meeting, Had $25 Million in Cartier Jewels appeared first on The Source.