On this date in 2000, the Hip Hop community was both shocked and saddened by the untimely death of lyrical giant Christopher “Big Pun” Rios. As the premiere artist for Fat Joe’s Terror Squad, Pun became the first Latino Hip Hop artist to go platinum and discovered TS’ First Lady, Remy Ma.
Pun is regarded as one of the game’s best lyricists to ever do it, or as he is aptly described, one of the best “dead or alive”. His only two full-length releases, Capital Punishment and Yeeahhh Baby, are considered classic albums among true Hip Hop aficionados and continue to get radio play on his smash singles “I’m Not A Player” and the posthumous “It’s So Hard”.
Rest In Peace to Pun and sincere condolences to the Rios family from the entire Mind Squad.
It’s another trip around the sun for Mary J. Blige, and a few dozen of her closest friends gathered for a celebration. Over the years, the Queen of Hip Hop-Soul has shown her luxury birthday shindigs that host her fellow famous friends. This year was no different, and there were plenty of photos and videos of the festivities that made the world green with envy.
“WOW!!! What a night!!!” she shared on Instagram. “It’s nothing like partying with people you really LOVE and who LOVES you back!!! That energy was crazy and unmatched!!! Thank you to everyone for all the birthday LOVE!!! I’m so overjoyed and still recovering from Saturday!!!”
According to Page Six, Blige dined at Chop House Time Square’s new VIP club, 47 Below. Of course, there was a custom cake, sparklers, and a one-of-a-kind meal with guests that included Fat Joe and DJ SnS.
The location was reportedly the same place Blige helped Fat Joe ring in his 52nd birthday last August.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 14: Mary J. Blige’s Birthday Celebration at Cipriani Wall Street on January 14, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 14: Mary J. Blige and Usher during Mary J. Blige’s Birthday Celebration at Cipriani Wall Street on January 14, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 14: Fat Joe, Mary J. Blige and Remy Ma attend Mary J. Blige’s Birthday Celebration at Cipriani Wall Street on January 14, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
There were plenty of photos to go around, so check out more above and below.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 14: (L-R) Connie Orlando, Chrissy Lampkin, Lorena Cartagena, Fat Joe and Michelle L. attend Mary J. Blige’s Birthday Celebration at Cipriani Wall Street on January 14, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Fat Joe is one of the most prominent sneakerheads out there. He is someone who has always repped various shoes throughout his career, and this has given him some clout within the sneaker world. If you love sneakers, then you have probably followed him at some point in your life.
Overall, it is typically true that sneaker influencers are always getting shoes that regular people do not have access to. For the general public, this is pretty frustrating, however, it is a fact of life. As you can imagine, Fat Joe is one of the many people who benefit from his fame.
Fat Joe speaks onstage during “In Conversation with Fat Joe” at The Apollo Theater on November 15, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Shahar Azran/Getty Images)
Fat Joe Flexes New AJ1
Some famous sneakerheads get access to some pretty impeccable samples. Fat Joe has shown off a few samples himself over the years. Typically, fans are interested in these colorways as they are either 1 of 1s, or just incredibly rare altogether.
Subsequently, the famous artist delivered images for this Air Jordan 1 below simply called “Rubik’s Cube.” Of course, this is because the shoe has all of the colors of a “Rubik’s Cube.” Overall, however, this makes for a chaotic shoe covered in red, white, blue, yellow, green, and orange. Needless to say, these are not for everyone.
In fact, if you were to go by the reactions, most people would say these look like clown shoes. That is definitely not a compliment, however, it is unlikely these ever drop, anyway. If you’re Jumpman, you should probably take a look at all of these comments and use them as a barometer for whether or not these are viable in the future. For now, the public just isn’t ready for them.
As always, let us know what you think of these kicks, in the comments section down below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest news and updates from around the sneaker world.
Fat Joe is known for his captivating stories about Hip Hop history, but Uncle Luke stepped in with a slight correction. Earlier this year, Fat Joe appeared on the My Expert Opinion podcast and revisited some of the culture’s moments. During the chat, Joe stated he “put on” Trick Daddy and Pitbull, helping the two rappers get signed. However, Luther Campbell shared the clip of the interview and said he was the one who discovered those artists.
“I love Joe but I find this very interesting because I discovered [Trick Daddy],” Luke commented. “He did his first song with me as soon as he got of the lock up and by he stayed with me.”
Additionally, Luke said: “I also discovered signed [Pitbull] to the platinum selling Luke records label did his first song’s with me. Because I’m from I felt the importance of signing a Cuban rapper so I discovered him off of battle rap tapes. Maybe I’m missing something here I do have the receipts.”
“By the way because you don’t see me all in the videos at the partys [DJ Khaled] I found him on underground radio mix 96 brought him to main stream, radio [99 Jamz Miami] The Luke Show.”
HOLLYWOOD, CA – JULY 15: (L-R) Rapper Lil Jon, Luther Campbell, rapper Pitbull, and Tony Robbins attend a ceremony honoring Pitbull with a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 15, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Luke once led the controversial Rap group 2 Live Crew, who dominated the party scene in the 1990s. The producer and promoter is responsible for some of Hip Hop and Dance culture’s favorite party hits. He has also been instrumental in several artists’ careers.
Check out the entirety of Fat Joe’s visit to My Expert Opinion below.
On a recent episode of Math Hoffa’s podcast My Expert Opinion, Fat Joe claimed that he discovered Slip N’ Slide’s Trick Daddy as well as reggaeton iconoclast Pitbull, both of whom respectively have elevated their careers in their own right. Now, Miami Hip Hop pioneer Uncle Luke has responded to Joey Crack’s claims and says that he doesn’t remeber things going anything like that.
The Luke Skyywalker Records founder posted the clip of Joe on the podcast on IG, captioning the video, saying, “I love Joe but I find this very interesting because i discovered @trickdaddydollars he did his first song with me as soon as he got off the lock up and by he stayed with me.”
As for Pitbull, Uncle Luke said, “I also discovered signed @pitbull to the platinum-selling Luke records label did his first songs with me. Because I’m from [Miami], I felt the importance of signing a Cuban rapper, so I discovered him off of battle rap tapes. Maybe I’m missing something here I do have the receipts.”
The 2 Live Crew front man even threw DJ Khaled on his “put me on” roster, adding, “By the way because you don’t see me all in the videos at the [parties] @djkhaled I found him on underground radio mix 96 brought him to mainstream radio @99jamzmiami The Luke Show.”
Fat Joe knows a thing or two about letting beef get in the way of making money. The “Lean Back” rapper, who has been making the interview rounds to promote the release of his new memoir, The Book Of Jose, explained last week to GQ how a beef with 50 Cent cost him “about $20 million” from a deal with Jordan brand and other appearance fees. In that same GQ interview, he spoke about having an unreleased guest verse that Hay-Z recorded for one of his tracks in 2019, and how it’ll likely never see the light of day because it could have compromised a deal Jay-Z made with the NFL.
You see, around the same time in 2019, Jay-Z inked a deal with the NFL which gave him a heavy hand in booking the Super Bowl Halftime Show and in the league’s social justice initiatives. Fat Joe seemed to indicate that Hov was rapping about the lead-up to the deal, or the deal itself and that once the deal was signed, the verse became a no-go.
“He was talking about the NFL stuff,” Fat Joe told GQ. “He had just signed that big deal with that NFL, so he wanted to let it go. He gave it to me… But I guess his people were like, ‘Yo bro, you just did a deal with them. How are you going to go in like that?’”
He then heaped praise on Jay-Z’shalftime show efforts. “They’ve been doing the biggest Super Bowl. That was legendary with Dre last year. And I know Rihanna’s going to be legendary this year. So, we don’t like to stop no money or burn no bridges.”
As to the whereabouts of the tape of Jay-Z’s verse where he apparently goes in on the NFL, Joe said he had it, but then walked that back. “I got a copy here. I don’t listen to it but I got it — Dre got it. Let me put it clear. Dre of Cool & Dre got it. I don’t have it.”
The ceremony may not air until next Tuesday (October 4), but the BET Hip Hop Awards is underway in Atlanta. Our favorite artists have made their way to the Cobb Energy Center in what is expected to be an epic celebration of the culture. Fat Joe is hosting the event and the I Am Hip Hop Award recipient this year is none other than the “Baddest B*tch” herself, Trina.
In the weeks leading up to the award show, Fat Joe has repeatedly expressed just how honored he is to add his name to the list of hosts.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Fat Joe attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Terence Rushin/Getty Images)
“I want to bring the energy, and culture and engage the audience. I want to talk to everybody around the world,” he recently said. “If they give out the award for best host of all-time for the Hip Hop Awards, I want to receive that.”
We’ll have to wait to see just how this show unfolds in its totality, but we can pass the time by taking a look at the stars and their red carpet looks.
David Banner, Busta Rhymes, Fivio Foreign, Yung Bleu, Baby Tate, Armani Ceasar, RZA, Redman, N.O.R.E., Lil Kim, Moneybagg Yo, and several others are slated to perform, so let us know who you’re looking forward to as you peruse the photos below.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: (L-R) Papoose and Remy Ma attend the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Terence Rushin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Lil Kim attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 at The Cobb Theater on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Joey Bada$$ attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Terence Rushin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Ice Spice attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Terence Rushin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: French Montana attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 at The Cobb Theater on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Yung Bleu (R) attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 at The Cobb Theater on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Terence Rushin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: King Combs attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 at The Cobb Theater on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Project Pat attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Zelie Timothy and Tyrese attend the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 at The Cobb Theater on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Kodak Black attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: T.I. and Tiny Harris attend the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Terence Rushin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Fredo Bang attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Terence Rushin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Baby Tate attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Terence Rushin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: GloRilla attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Terence Rushin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Trick Daddy attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 at The Cobb Theater on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Ari Fletcher attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 at The Cobb Theater on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
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