Today In Hip Hop History: Tupac Shakur Died After Being Gunned Down On Las Vegas Strip 26 Years Ago

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Cultural icon Tupac Shakur was then taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada hospital after being shot several times in a drive-by on a Las Vegas strip on September 7, 1996, and was under a medically induced coma for six days before dying from internal bleeding on September 13, 1996.

After several failed attempts by doctors to revive 2Pac, his mother Afeni Shakur requested for his life support machine to be turned off. What were the events that transpired the days before the September 7th shooting that caused his early demise and why has the mystery of his death never been solved? These are the questions that remain 19 years later. Chris Carroll, a retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department sergeant, told Vegas Seven Magazine in an interview last year that we may never know;

“Shakur’s murder is still considered an unsolved homicide and an unsolved homicide case is technically never closed. But nothing more is ever going to happen with it.”

After all the documentaries that have been put out pertaining to Pac’s death, most fans attempt to put the clues together and create their own hypothesis yet without hard evidence it’s still just an educated guess as to what really happened the night of September 7, 1996.

The only real evidence police have are the witness accounts from Outlaw member E.D.I Mean, who claimed to have seen all four men in the vehicle and Yaki Kadafi, who was involved in a scuffle with officers two days following the shooting after they pulled over a driver he was with and he protested. Officers did not try to locate Kadafi, who was later gunned down in Irving, NJ two months after the shooting.

Compton investigators assembled mug shots of several gang members, which included Orlando Anderson, the Crip that Tupac attacked in the MGM Grand lobby hours before the shooting. Anderson is the suspect said to have fired the fatal shots that killed Pac. Las Vegas police later discounted Anderson as a suspect and interviewed him only once. He was later killed in an unrelated gang shooting.

‘Pac’s killer has yet to be found or even suspected, but the fight to bring his killer(s) to justice is continual and highly publicized, which will hopefully bring the truth about his untimely death to light.

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Today In Hip Hop History: Notorious B.I.G.’s Debut LP ‘Ready To Die’ Dropped 28 Years Ago

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On September 13, 1994, Notorious B.I.G., alongside producers Easy Mo Bee, DJ Premier, Poke of the Trackmasters, and none other than “Puffy” (as Diddy was called then) as the executive producer, released the Hip Hop masterpiece known as Ready To Die.

As Big’s debut album, this highly anticipated release shows the lyrical prowess of the Bed-Stuy big man, and besides Method Man’s assistance on the epic “The What?” track, Mr. Wallace made it happen all by himself. Other than Nas’ Illmatic, no other solo emcee accomplished that feat during that era on the East Coast. Recognized as “The King Of New York” and as seen on a vintage 1995 Source Magazine cover, Big’s legacy was etched in stone with this LP.

Timeless classics from that four and a half mic-er include the DJ Premier produced “Unbelievable,” the back and forth storytelling adventures of “Warning” and “Gimme The Loot,” and the eerie title track itself were just a few of the highlights of this legendary project. That’s not to forget the mainstream success of singles such as “One More Chance,” the Brooklynplayalistic sound of “Big Poppa,” and of course the hood inspirational, Mtume-based “Juicy.”

We only had the chance to get one more album(prophetically named Life After Death) out of one of the game’s greatest lyricists before he was prematurely killed in Los Angeles in 1997. Still, this album will always remind us that B.I.G. was “Ready to Die” because his talent was and will always be larger than life.

Salute to Big (RIP), Premier, Easy, Poke, Lord Finesse, Diddy, Lil’ Kim, and the entire Wallace family for this classic masterpiece!

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Today In Hip Hop History: MC Lyte Dropped Her Sophomore ‘Eyes On This’ LP 33 Years Ago

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On this date in 1989, Brooklyn rapper Lana Moorer aka MC Lyte dropped her second full-length studio LP Eyes On This.

Released on her family’s First Priority imprint through the parent company Atlantic and produced by her brothers Audio Two, King of Chill, and Nat Robinson, Eyes On This was Lyte’s introduction into stardom, with the NYC skyline(including WTC) and two ’89 Porsche Carreras on the album’s cover as proof.

Some of the album’s standout tracks include “Cappucino,” “Cha Cha Cha,” and “Shut The Eff Up(Hoe)!,” which was the second installment in her battle with female rap phenom Antoinette.

The 13 track album made it to #86 on the Billboard 200 and is still recognized as a classic by real Hip Hop aficionados around the globe. Salute to Lyte, Milk, Giz, and the King of Chill for giving the people this dope album!

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Quavo and Takeoff Wear Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga on New Album Cover

Quavo and Takeoff Announce Their Debut Joint Album 'Only Built For Infinity Links'

As much as they are icons of rap, Quavo and Takeoff are icons of fashion. Announcing their new album Only Built For Infinity Links, the two stars are laced in Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga on the album artwork.

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The two rap superstars are seen in the padded denim jacket and the five-pocket denim pants. Both items are currently available for global purchase on YeezyGap.com and Balenciaga online partners farfetch.com, mytheresa.com and luisaviaroma.com.

Only Built For Infinity Links is set to release on October 7, 2022, on Quality Control Music Group/Motown Records.

The album announcement comes after the recent single “Big Stunna,” featuring Birdman, and “Us Vs. Them,” featuring Gucci Mane. The opening single for the album was “Hotel Lobby,” which has reached nearly 200 million streams worldwide.

You can see the album promo below.

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Today In Hip Hop History: Jay-Z Released His 11th LP ‘The Blueprint 3’ 12 Years Ago

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On this date in 2009, Hip Hop’s most recognized cultural icon dropped his eleventh album entitled The Blueprint 3 on the Roc Nation/Asylum/Atlantic imprint.

Produced by Hov himself, Kanye, No I.D.This Jigga project boasted more guest appearances than any of his previously released full-length albums, the Neptunes, Swizz Beatz, and several others. The singles from this LP are arguably some of Jay-Z’s most recognized songs by millennials; “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune),” “Run This Town,” ” “Empire State of Mind” and “On to the Next One” were chart-topping tracks during the summer and fall of 2009 and will forever be remembered as some of Hov’s most revered hits.

Commercially speaking, this album became Jay-Z’s eleventh number one album, breaking the record of pole position albums he once shared with Elvis Presley. Selling almost a half-million copies in its first week, TB3 was certified platinum by the RIAA within two months of its release. Currently, the album has sold over 3 million copies.

Salute to Jay, Ye, Rihanna, Drake, Alicia Keys, and everyone involved with this essential piece of Hip Hop history!

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SOURCE SPORTS: A’Ja Wilson Named 2022 WNBA Most Valuable Player

A'Ja Wilson Named 2022 WNBA Most Valuable Player

One day after leading the Las Vegas Aces to the 2022 WNBA Finals, A’Ja Wilson has been named league MVP. The win is the second MVP award for Wilson, she previously won in 2020.

Wilson is now the seventh player in WNBA history to win the MVP Award more than once, joining Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, Elena Della Donne, and Candace Parker.

Late last month, Wilson was named the Defensive Player of the Year. She is the fifth player in league history to win both awards in a single season. The last to achieve the double win was Jackson in 2007. Yolanda Giffith, Swoopes, and Leslie are the others to win in the same season.

Second place in this year’s voting was Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart, third place was Wilson’s teammate Kelsey Plum and fourth was Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun. Fifth in voting was Candace Parker of The Chicago Sky.

In just her fifth season, Wilson averaged 19.95 points, 9.4 rebounds, shot 50.1 percent from the field and had 17 double-doubles across 36 games. She also led the league in blocks at 1.9 per game.

Wilson and the Aces will host the winner of the Sun and Sky in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals this Sunday.

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Happy Birthday To N.W.A./Ruthless Records Founder Eazy-E! (RIP)

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Despite the fact that the Hip Hop community lost this giant in the game over two decades ago, the legacy of Eazy-E will always be seen, heard and celebrated by the culture of Hip Hop.

Eazy-E was born Eric Lynn Wright on this date in 1964 in Compton, California. As most of his gang-infested Compton neighborhood, Eazy adopted the street life and began a career in selling drugs in the early 80s. Wright earned as much as $250K selling drugs, but quickly reinvested his street profits into the music business, thus starting Ruthless Records.

Not long after, Eazy linked up with O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Lorenzo “MC Ren” Paterson and founded “the world’s most dangerous group”, N.W.A. This multi-platinum, Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame group catapulted Eazy’s status to the “godfather of gangster rap”.

Even though the world said goodbye to Eazy in 1995 after his short battle with AIDS, his musical genius continues to live on and influence future generations of Hip Hoppers.

Happy born day Eazy! #RIPEazyE

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Nicki Minaj’s Teases ‘Super Freaky Girl’ #QueensMix on Instagram

Nicki Minaj's "Super Freaky Girl" Makes No. 1 Debut on Billboard Hot 100

With her new single “Super Freaky Girl” currently running up the numbers, Nicki Minaj is prepping the remix. Hitting Instagram, Minaj wrote, “#QueenMix guess who????!! Coming SOON.”

There is no indication on when soon is, but with Friday fast approaching, it may be reasonable to take a look for the new single then.

Nicki Minaj and her new single “Super Freaky Girl” debuted on top of the Billboard Hot 100. The single is Minaj’s third time on top of the chart, but her first time unaccompanied. She previously appeared alongside 6ix9ine on top with “Trollz” and with Doja Cat on “Say So.”

“Super Freaky Girl” features a sample of Rick James’ “Super Freak” and had a monster week of 21.1 million streams, 4.6 million radio airplay audience impressions, and 89,000 downloads in its first week.

“Super Freaky Girl” is also Minaj’s 21st single to reach the Top 10 of the Hot 100. It is the rapper’s second single to do so this year, following her collaboration with Lil Baby “Do We Have a Problem.”

In addition to the top of the Hot 100, Minaj’s new single tops the Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales charts.

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Happy Birthday To The Juice Crew’s MC Shan!

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Sean Moltke, aka MC Shan of QB’s Juice Crew, turns 57 today.

The first solo MC with a major release from the “infamous” Queensbridge Projects celebrates his 50th birthday today. MC Shan was at the top of his game during Hip Hop’s “Golden Era,” along with crewmates Roxanne Shante, Craig G, Tragedy, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Masta Ace, and of course DJ Marley Marl, who formed The Juice Crew. Shan’s first album, Down By Law, was a hit among Hip Hop aficionados of the 80s, with his epic battle against KRS-1 and Boogie Down Productions was one of the greatest crew beefs in Hip Hop all time. BDP vs. Juice Crew is a prime example of a good, healthy beef that stayed on wax and even managed to morph into a Sprite commercial featuring Shan and Kris.

The Source Magazine sends a supreme born day salute to the God Shandu on his 57yh born day and wishes him many more in the future!

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Today in Hip-Hop History: Naughty By Nature Dropped Their Self Titled Debut Album 31 Years Ago

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On this date in 1991, the “Illtown(Irvington)” trio known as Naughty By Nature released their self-titled debut LP on the now-defunct Tommy Boy imprint.

This album, which within a six-month time span went platinum, dropped a series of singles that became instant anthems, making Naughty one of the best hook makers in Hip Hop of that era. Some of those smash singles include the “Uptown Anthem”, which features a rookie Tupac Shakur in the video as a promo for the cult classic flick Juice, the rags-to-riches story of “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright” and the millennial classic gem “O.P.P.”.

Salute to Treach, Vin Rock, and DJ Kay Gee for giving the culture such a classic piece of Hip Hop history!

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