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Arkansas Couple Tells The Story Of Kendrick Lamar Using Their Black Forces Listing As Cover Art

September 26, 2024 by newhiphopnews

As with a lot of things Kendrick Lamar-related in 2024, there’s a curious backstory behind his most recent song, commonly referred to as “Watch The Party Die.” It dropped right when the MTV VMAs began, and its crusade against insufficient industry standards and cultural degradation certainly ruffled some feathers. But folks still wondered: where on Earth did he get the cover art of a pair of scuffed Black Air Force 1s, a common symbol of “demon time”? Well, fans quickly unearthed that it was a random eBay listing that had already sold for $70, and what they found out next thanks to local Arkansas news station THV11 is very interesting.

Moreover, the outlet published a video interview with Arkansas citizens Billy Lingo and Darla Wilson on September 24. The North Little Rock couple have been together for 20 years, and launched their eBay account (Good2BYou) in 2021. When Kendrick Lamar dropped the song, they received an onslaught of calls and messages breaking the news, and they canceled the order – despite it already being sold – given how much more valuable the shoes are now.

Kendrick Lamar Caused This Arkansas Couple To Post The Listing Of A Lifetime

“I’m not gonna lie to you, I didn’t know a lot about him, but I really know about him now,” Billy Lingo said of Kendrick Lamar. He and Darla Wilson put the shoes up for auction starting at $5,000 and also included a “Buy It Now” option for $75,000. At press time, there are currently no bids for it. In addition to this, the couple also plans on selling merch depicting the cover art. It just goes to show how magnanimous the context behind this new song can be, and how much value hip-hop fans place on the genre’s history – however minimal or, frankly, expensive.

Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar fans are very excited about the prospect of another Steve Lacy collab, which the latter recently teased. “I’m moved by what’s weird,” Lacy told Fantastic Man of his creative process for his next album. “It’s almost like I hear them, and I think, I need to call this person. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a Kendrick verse.” Let’s see if this opportunity manifests…

[via]

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Charlamagne Tha God Questions Why Diddy Might’ve Committed The Crimes He’s Accused Of

September 22, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Charlamagne Tha God, like many others online, became very outspoken when it comes to the Diddy scandal. Moreover, he’s warned his alleged associates of retribution, spoken on his inner circle, and done a lot to try to wade through and understand the allegations and supposed lifestyle at hand. For example, during the radio host’s latest sit-down with Andrew Schulz for their Brilliant Idiots podcast, they discussed why Sean Combs might’ve done the things he allegedly did.

“Diddy, for some reason, he’s either incredibly arrogant and doesn’t think that he can be taken down, or he believes that he’s innocent, or he believes that there are people that would go down if he went down and they wouldn’t want that to happen. People in a position of power,” Andrew Schulz posited. “All of that could be true, or he could just be too far gone,” Charlamagne Tha God replied. “He could be too far gone off the drugs, and the alcohol, and the power, and the ego that he’s just delusional as f**k. Oh, my God. Yes, [I’ve seen power corrupt] a million times!

Charlamange Tha God Tries To Understand Diddy’s Alleged Actions

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“Actually, when I read the indictment, I’m reading it, I’m just like, this is just a dude that… He’s super power-trippy,” Charlamagne Tha God said of Diddy. “Super ego-trippy. And it’s the drugs, and it’s the alcohol, right? If you ask me, I think this man – this is a podcast, and this is what we do on a podcast, [this is allegedly], yes. I think this man has so much grief and trauma that he’s just always trying to escape. That’s why it’s always so much drugs, so much alcohol, and sex.

“He probably does that s**t to run from whatever trauma he never dealt with,” Charlamagne Tha God theorized about the Diddy allegations. “I think it’s the sex, the drugs, it just helps him to escape. And he’s always constantly trying to escape. ‘Cause that’s the other thing that people are not talking about with this indictment: all the drugs they found! Ketamine, coke, ecstasy. They said that the night that he turned himself in, or they picked him up or whatever, he had f***ing pink powder in the room. Clearly, they guy got a problem. Clearly, clearly.”

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KAYTRANADA Explains Why Drake Didn’t Reach Out To Him Again For “Honestly, Nevermind”

August 30, 2024 by newhiphopnews

2024 really is the year of Drake hate, although this most recent example in that saga is not only not a hater example, but also not new information, either. Moreover, KAYTRANADA recently engaged in a new interview with Vulture in which he revealed some extra details about the 6ix God and his team once approaching him to produce on the OVO mogul’s 2022 house album, Honestly, Nevermind. The Canadian producer recalled once again how the approach came about, and this time around, he theorized as to what it was about his response that prompted Drizzy’s camp to never reach out again to make the link-up happen.

“[KAYTRANADA] was approached at a Coachella after-party in L.A. to make beats for Honestly, Nevermind, and though he says it would have been ‘an honor,’ he later overheard that it fell through because his casual response — ‘Sure, hit me up’ — lacked fawning enthusiasm,” the article read. “Was I supposed to be like, ‘Oh my God, for real? Drake?’ I’m not like that,” he added. This lines up pretty well with what KAYTRA had already said about this moment.

KAYTRANADA Revisits The Story Of Almost Working On Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind

KAYTRANADA reveals how he nearly produced for Drake’s ‘Honestly, Nevermind’…

“[I] was approached at a Coachella after-party in L.A. to make beats for Honestly, Nevermind, and though he says it would have been “an honor,” he later overheard that it fell through because his… pic.twitter.com/rdZ7cs2je2

— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) August 30, 2024

“I met Drake in L.A. one time, and that was it, really,” KAYTRANADA expressed during an interview with MONTREALITY last December. “At one point, one of his boys was like, ‘Your boy wants some beats. He’s gonna do a house album.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, sure, hit me up.’ That’s my thing: anybody that wanna work with me, just hit me up. Maybe my reaction rubbed them the wrong way, but I was just saying, ‘Hey, if you’re serious, hit me up, let’s work, for real.’” The TIMELESS creative then never heard from The Boy again, and although this isn’t really cause for any sort of beef, it landed in the perfect context for those discussions.

But let’s not pit one Canadian artist against another. Rather, we hope that Drake and KAYTRANADA eventually link up and make some magic together. After all, we saw how much the latter could add to a lyricist’s sonic pallet thanks to his work with Mach-Hommy and 03 Greedo earlier in 2024. If “#RICHAXXHAITIAN” doesn’t convince you that Aubrey needs to hop on KAYTRA’s production, we don’t know what will.

[via]

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Fivio Foreign Explains His Controversial Rick Ross Mention On New Song “Blacc Out”

August 30, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Fivio Foreign and Rick Ross have a tight rap relationship, which is why so many folks expressed confusion at the former’s new song, “Blacc Out.” Moreover, the track contains the following bar: “When I go overseas, I’m a big dog / N***as never gon’ treat me like Rick Ross.” A lot of fans thought that this was actually a shot at the Maybach Music Group mogul, but the New York drill artist quickly took to Twitter on Thursday (August 29) to clear the air. “And that was deff not a shot at Ricc Ross. Smh Yall take everything outta context,” he expressed.

Furthermore, the specific bar refers to an incident that Rick Ross faced in Vancouver, where a group of Drake fans fought him and his crew for playing “Not Like Us.” This was a big enough moment that no one really doubted what Fivio Foreign was referring to, even if the intent behind it came under fire. After all, why would you make light of how folks treated one of your colleagues, especially in a way that makes a distinction between how he reacted and how you would? Even if this wasn’t meant as a diss, it doesn’t paint Rozay in the best light, either.

Fivio Foreign Denies Dissing Rick Ross

Speaking of Rick Ross’ rap beef, he recently explained why he launched a diss track this year against Drake, but not against The Game. “”On some rap s**t, it was no conspiracies,” he told Shannon Sharpe during his Nightcap Summer Sessions in Houston. “Rozay name was said, Rozay, I’ma jump off the porch. That’s what I do… I’ma jump off the porch and I’ma have some fun, and that’s what I did, I had some fun.” “Not responding is a response when you a boss,” The Biggest Boss said of the Los Angeles MC.

Meanwhile, Fivio Foreign faces much more harsh criticism for other matters. One of these is his vocal support of Donald Trump, which rubs many fans the wrong way. Another concerns a video on Fivio’s social media page that shows a drug user shooting up. Many found this insensitive, so they might have stuck to their preconceived notions and made up a Rick Ross diss in their heads.

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DJ Akademiks Defends Nicki Minaj’s Possible Explanation For Her Ice Spice Beef

August 23, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Nicki Minaj recently sparked a whole lot of fan speculation with some recent moves that some Barbz interpreted as shade towards Ice Spice. For those unaware, the former unfollowed the latter on Instagram and then told fans to stop asking questions about “other people” amid this drama. As such, many put two and two together, but this equation doesn’t really confirm whether or not there are real issues at play here. Nevertheless, DJ Akademiks recently responded to this during his livestream, defending the Trinidadian MC for her choices and for the way in which she’s conducting business with these artists.

Of course, Ak’s main point of defense for Nicki Minaj’s treatment of Ice Spice was to compare her to her Young Money partner and his fav, Drake. He said that Drizzy rubs a lot of artists the wrong way for taking control of publishing and masters, but the media personality justified this through the notion of the “Drake stimulus package.” He’s already defended this model to death before, so it’s no surprise that he understands why Nicki is moving in the way she’s moving. To be clear, this approach from a massive artist to a relatively smaller one isn’t necessarily an automatic point of condemnation, as any sort of deal in the music industry can turn sour if executed irresponsibly.

DJ Akademiks Speaks On Nicki Minaj’s Label Comments Seemingly Aimed At Ice Spice

Dj akademiks reacts to Nicki Minaj telling the BARBZ why she don’t support ice spice . Ak defends Nicki on how she wants to use her leverage to do business . He says drake does the same thing pic.twitter.com/VdxHPgZzqI

— joebuddenclips (@Chatnigga101) August 23, 2024

Here’s what Nicki Minaj had to say about rappers signing to white labels instead of her Heavy On It imprint, which many saw as an Ice Spice dig. “Motherf***er tell somebody they don’t want to sign with Heavy On It,” she expressed. “But then they’ll go and sign with the white peoples. And guess who the white peoples finna call? Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty. They always get the attention of the Barbz. If your name is not on [the new version of] Pink Friday 2, they’re not a Heavy On It artist.”

Meanwhile, this is what Ice Spice had to say about Nicki Minaj recently. “We don’t have the closest relationship, you know? But we’re definitely good,” she posited. “We’re mutuals. We had smash records together. I love us together. I think the world does too.”

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Yung Miami Clarifies The City Girls’ Status And Explains What Happened With JT

August 9, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Yung Miami just dropped a bombshell when it comes to long-awaited remarks on a lot of what’s happened in her life over the past year or so. Moreover, her podcast series Caresha Please just dropped its first new episode in a long time, and she had a lot of things to address. One of these was the Miami rapper’s connection to Diddy, a relationship that she confirmed ended right around when the Bad Boy mogul faced various lawsuits and abhorrent allegations. However, the other big narrative of this podcasting return was the end of the City Girls, and she explained why she and JT decided to move on from this duo.

“So I don’t really know, like, what was the moment that separated us,” Yung Miami said of JT and the City Girls in this Saucy Santana-hosted episode of Caresha Please. “But I just felt like it became a time where, like, when we was getting together, it just wasn’t connecting. And I was just like… Ain’t no money in the group, you get what I’m saying? Like, we not going to the studio together. I’m doing a feature, people calling for the City Girls… You know, it’s either me or it’s you.

Yung Miami Divulges On City Girls Split

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“It just wasn’t connecting no more and I just felt like that’s what really made me, like, start my own brand,” Yung Miami continued. “Like, I got to do something because I’m in this group. The group ain’t making no money, we not working… I was just like, ‘You know what, I got to figure something out. It’s been a minute since s**t been going on behind closed doors.

“I feel like we outgrew each other,” Yung Miami concluded. “I feel like she was in L.A., I was in Miami. She was been working on her s**t… I didn’t know. And I just feel like every time we tried to get together, it just didn’t hit. I just feel like when we got together, it wasn’t hitting. I just feel like we was just in two different head spaces. Like, the way we dressed was different. I’m more of, I’ll wear a leotard. JT wants to wear something covered. So I just felt like whenever we tried to get together, it just didn’t connect.”

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Kendrick Lamar’s Engineer Reveals The “Amazing” Process Behind Drake Disses

August 1, 2024 by newhiphopnews

The world still hasn’t gotten enough of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef, as there are still plenty of unanswered questions to ponder over. Moreover, one aspect of the battle that people would love to learn more about is the actual recording process behind these songs, as they came out so quick and with a lot of big names attached in the studio. Thanks to engineer Nicolas de Parcel, K.Dot’s mastering engineer for his disses, we now have more of an idea of how it all went down. He spoke to EngineEars (founded by Kendrick collaborator MixedByAli) and revealed how simultaneously intense but also exciting these sessions were.

“It was a little crazy,” Nicolas de Parcel recalled about mastering Kendrick Lamar’s tracks against Drake. “I got a call and it was like, ‘Stay on call, you’re gonna be working.’ I would get the song and like six minutes would elapse and they’d be like, ‘How we looking?’ It was very high pressure. As Dot was releasing these records, it was like, I was turning in the masters [and] it would drop like 12 minutes later. It was amazing.”

Kendrick Lamar’s Engineer Speaks On Intense Mastering Process For Drake Diss Tracks

Specifically, the Kendrick Lamar tracks that Nicolas de Parcel engineered (per the credits) are “Euphoria,” “Meet The Grahams,” and “Not Like Us,” the three individual disses that he released on streaming services. “6:16 In LA” only came out via Instagram, but it stands to reason that he could’ve contributed to that as well. Nevertheless, de Parcel has also worked with Pharrell, Killer Mike, André 3000, Future, 21 Savage, and many more hip-hop titans. So the resume certainly speaks for itself, but this historic moment is probably something that no studio wizard would soon forget even with such a lauded career under their belt.

Meanwhile, fans eagerly await what’s next, and most of them hope that Kendrick Lamar and Drake just continue to drop great music for themselves and not for anyone else. With the battle behind them, it’s time for them to move on and drop more amazing material, with both MCs supposedly dropping albums this year. That’s just speculation, but we know that they’re on a creative hot streak right now. Will they live up to the moment with incredible hip-hop that doesn’t have to go at each other’s necks or is “Wah Gwan Delilah” indicative of the complacency they will chase moving forward? We shall see…

[via]

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Ava Kris Tyson Drama: What We Know About MrBeast Co-Host’s Controversy

July 26, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Ava Kris Tyson, a former associate of MrBeast, announced she would be leaving the channel and social media behind entirely. This decision came after Tyson issued an apology for past remarks that led to allegations of grooming. It began when social media users uncovered alleged online conversation between a user named LavaGS, who was a minor at the time. Lava has since come out in defense of Tyson, though she still stepped down from the MrBeast channel. Below, we’ve broken down some of the allegations concerning Tyson’s online behavior over the last ten years.

The Accusations Unveiled

The accusations against Ava Kris Tyson are primarily focused on her interactions on social media throughout the years. Tyson, who transitioned in 2023, has been the subject of significant anti-LGBTQ+ harassment since then. Recent allegations suggest that starting in 2016, when Tyson was 20, she engaged in inappropriate correspondence with a user named LavaGS, who was then 13. Lava, now 20 and an editor, later took a job with MrBeast and visited the Beast compound. These interactions have led some to believe that Lava was “groomed” by Tyson.

Tyson’s Defense

I would like to apologize for any of my past behavior or comments if it hurt or offended anyone. It was not my intent. Seeing recent events we’ve mutually decided it’s best I permanently step away from all things MrBeast and social media to focus on my family and mental health.

— Ava Kris Tyson (@kristyson_) July 23, 2024

I want to add, I never groomed anyone. The person who gets brought up in these accusations @LavaGS has vocally supported that they are false.

— Ava Kris Tyson (@kristyson_) July 23, 2024

To lump these two factors together to create a narrative that my behavior extended beyond bad edgy jokes is disgusting and did not happen.

In past years, I have learned that my old humor is not acceptable. I cannot change who I was, but I can continue to work on myself

— Ava Kris Tyson (@kristyson_) July 23, 2024

Tyson took to social media to vehemently deny the grooming allegations. In a series of posts, she stated that she had never groomed anyone, specifically mentioning Lava. Tyson admitted that her past humor was inappropriate and expressed her commitment to personal growth. Lava also supported Tyson’s statement by tweeting that he was not a victim and that their interactions were being misrepresented by others.

“I would like to apologize for any of my past behavior or comments if it hurt or offended anyone. It was not my intent. Seeing recent events we’ve mutually decided it’s best I permanently step away from all things MrBeast and social media to focus on my family and mental health,” Tyson wrote. “I want to add, I never groomed anyone. The person who gets brought up in these accusations @LavaGS has vocally supported that they are false.”

MrBeast’s Response

Over the last few days, I’ve become aware of the serious allegations of Ava Tyson’s behavior online and I am disgusted and opposed to such unacceptable acts.

During that time, I have been focused on hiring an independent third party to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure…

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) July 25, 2024

Following a brief period of silence and immense backlash, Beast issued a statement regarding Tyson’s online behavior. In the tweet, the YouTuber expressed his disgust surrounding the alleged comments made by Tyson. He also said that he’s hiring an independent investigator to look into the matter.

“Over the last few days, I’ve become aware of the serious allegations of Ava Tyson’s behavior online and I am disgusted and opposed to such unacceptable acts. During that time, I have been focused on hiring an independent third party to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure I have all the facts,” he wrote. “That said, I’ve seen enough online and taken immediate action to remove Ava from the company, my channel, and any association with MrBeast. I do not condone or support any of the inappropriate actions.I will allow the independent investigators the necessary time to conduct a comprehensive investigation and will take any further actions based on their findings..”

Reactions From Involved Parties

Lava, in an interview with Rolling Stone, claimed that his story had been distorted by the creators who first brought these allegations to light. He insisted that their portrayal of the events was misleading and motivated by an agenda. The creators in question denied any intentional wrongdoing, arguing that Tyson’s actions needed to be exposed. Lava emphasized that he had always viewed his interactions with Tyson as benign and typical of his friendships at that age.

[Via]

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Jay-Z Bar From “Public Service Announcement” Finally Gets An Explanation

July 19, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Jay-Z has a lot of history to look back on, whether it’s his still-contentious alleged beefs or the wealth of great bars that he’s given the culture. Still, not every Hov bar is easy to research or break down, and one particular line off of his smash 2003 hit “Public Service Announcement” has always left fans scratching their heads. “My homie Strick told me, ‘Dude, finish your breakfast!’” he raps at one point, and it turns out that no one figured this bar out because it was such a specific anecdote. Moreover, former NBA player Smush Parker recently explained the context behind this line during a conversation with the legendary Rucker Park’s Streetball collective.

Apparently, this Jay-Z line refers to a failed dunk attempt from Parker to Strick during a game at the Rucker, to which Strick told his opponent: “Yo, young fella, you gotta finish your breakfast” with a side-eye. The Brooklyn MC witnessed this moment and chose to christen it on one of his biggest songs, which is quite the flex. Frequent Jay collaborator Just Blaze made this “PSA” beat off of The Black Album, and he previously spoke on how they already finished the project by the time he cooked this song up.

Smush Parker Reveals The Story Behind One Of Jay-Z’s “PSA” Bars

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“The Black Album was done, it was handed in,” Just Blaze told REVOLT of the Jay-Z collab all the way back in 2013. “My two contributions were ‘December 4th’ and the intro [‘Interlude’], which I was fine with. And we’re at Battery [Studios] mixing something. One of my best friends by the name Big Jack comes in the studio, ‘I got something you gotta hear.’ I put the headphones on and he puts this record on and all you heard was ‘doom-doom-doom-doom-doom’ and I’m just sitting there like ‘What is about to happen?’

“So, I made the ‘PSA’ beat in the headphones while the engineer was mixing one of the records we was working on,” Just Blaze continued concerning Jay-Z. “I made the beat in like 10 minutes and I ran over to the studio… So, the next day Jay’s doing listening sessions for the press for The Black Album… I’m like ‘Nah, you gotta come in here.’ And I play it and at first his reaction was just like… and I’m like ‘Do you not hear what we’re all hearing?’ As he’s doing the press, he’s thinking about this beat in the back of his mind. Coming up with the song… So, he comes in the next day. Spits the whole thing over in one take…Two or three weeks later we’re at the Garden and the entire arena knows the words.”

[via]

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Shaq Apologizes To Drake & Explains His Recent “BBL Drizzy” Post

June 29, 2024 by newhiphopnews

There’s not a corner of pop culture or entertainment that the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef hasn’t hit on yet, and its presence in sports is quite a curious one. Many NBA teams, for example, used these disses to warm up for playoff games, and the competitive nature of the feud inspired a lot of takes from sports commentators. In fact, we even saw Shaq have a little bit of fun by parodying the “BBL Drizzy” beat on Inside The NBA alongside Chuck, Kenny, and Ernie. But Shaquille O’Neal recently had to explain a bizarre edited picture that he posted of him chilling on a boat with presumably his girl or a female friend… with the 6ix God’s face placed over hers and “BBL Drizzy” playing in the background.

“Let me apologize right quick,” Shaq’s explanation of the whole thing began during his latest episode of The Big Podcast. “I sent out a picture the other day. The mistake I made was that I should’ve said, ‘Who did this?’ Because I want Drake to know… Listen, Drake has a great sense of humor, so I thought it was funny that they did it. I don’t want him to think -– like, I saw ‘Shaq’s trolling.’ No, I’m not trolling.

Shaq Explains “BBL Drizzy” Post

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“No, I didn’t Photoshop it,” Shaq continued. “Somebody Photoshopped it and I actually saw it and I took the picture. So, Drake, I apologize. I should have put ‘Who was this?’ on there, because I don’t want you to think I did that. Somebody sent it to me, I thought it was funny and hopefully you thought it was funny, too. But once it went viral, I definitely took it down. But, so, my bad, big Drake.”

Meanwhile, Drake is already moving onto bigger fish to fry, and has some song of the summer contenders with his new collabs with Camila Cabello. But folks are still spreading a lot of memes and hilarious content about the Kendrick Lamar battle, and we’re sure that Shaq has many other takes on it. We’ll see whether more celebrities join in on the fun, although they’re pretty late if they’re just getting started. Nevertheless, don’t let Stan Twitter fool you: not everyone’s diving in Reddit rabbit holes to have fun with this rap-off.

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