Everyone just knew that seasoned comedian Mike Epps would be the perfect actor to portray the late comic icon Richard Pryor in his biopic, but in a recent interview on the All The Smoke podcast, Epps revealed that his role fell through because Pryor’s ex-wife was in opposition to him playing the legendary comedian. Epps spoke on the atmosphere at Pryor’s funeral and conveyed his disappointment at the fact that none of Pryor’s friends were not in attendance.
Epps also delved into the current state of comedy and how heightened sensitivity to special groups in society has given the cancel culture a unique impact on creativity and praised comics like Dave Chappelle and Katt WIlliams for having no fear of sensitivity in their acts.
Nicki Minaj shows fans what they will get at the Pink Friday 2 tour. With Denver and Oakland already transformed into #GagCity, Minaj hit Instagram to share moments from the show. You can get a glimpse below.
The Queen of Hip-Hop, Nicki Minaj, kicked off her highly anticipated Nicki Minaj Presents: Pink Friday 2 World Tour with two spectacular performances in Oakland, CA, and Denver, CO. With over 30 sold-out shows across North America, Europe, and the UK, Minaj’s return to the stage has been eagerly awaited by fans worldwide.
Minaj mesmerized over 25,000 fans at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, setting a new record as the venue’s second-highest-grossing single night by a hip-hop artist. The show featured hits from her latest album, Pink Friday 2, including chart-toppers like “FTCU” and “Super Freaky Girl,” alongside fan-favorite classics such as “Anaconda” and “Super Bass.”
The concert also saw 13 live debuts from Minaj’s discography, including long-awaited performances of “Right Thru Me” and “Here I Am.” Special guest Monica joined Minaj on stage, thrilling fans with her hit songs.
Gag City, the AI World created by Minaj’s dedicated fanbase, came to life on stage with vibrant production, enhancing the concert experience. Fans had the opportunity to elevate their experience with various VIP packages, including access to exclusive lounges and merchandise.
Minaj’s surprise appearance at the Gag City Headquarters in Denver further cemented the tour’s excitement and anticipation. With her unmatched talent and energy, Minaj has set the stage for an unforgettable tour experience for fans worldwide.
Tory Lanez is ready to give his first interview from prison. According to Adin Ross, the Chixtape rapper will call into his stream via Zoom.
“Yo chat, by the way, free my dawg Tory, man,” Adin said. “Adin x Tory Lanez stream — it’s going to be a Zoom call, chat. He’s going to be in jail and I’m going to be at the warehouse. Zoom call, very, very soon.”
Court reporter Megan Cuniff, who has covered the case from the beginning, revealed that she would be sharing updates from the court as the process gets underway.
Today’s the day I get 1,000 DMs asking me if I’m covering Tory Lanez’s appeal for shooting Megan Thee Stallion.
1. Yes. But the brief isn’t in yet and I’ve got a big unrelated hearing to cover this morning.
Ja Rule spoke with Piers Morgan about not being admitted to Britain for a set of shows. But his comments about Diddy are grabbing the culture’s attention.
During the conversation with Morgan, Ja Rule says Diddy is “another Black man in the industry going through unfortunate circumstances” and “I wish him luck with everything he is going through.”
Ja would then direct his attention to the victims and offer them wishes.
Morgan asked Rule if this was a sign of a moment of reckoning in the rap industry. Rule stated he didn’t know, deeming the entire situation unfortunate.
Baby No. 8 has arrived for Cam Newton. Newton’s girlfriend, Jasmin Brown, revealed that she has delivered the new child.
Hitting her Instagram Story, Brown commented on the birth while detailing hospital garments, explicitly questioning how long she has to be in a depend, which she called a diaper.
“You don’t want me to wear a thong,” Brown said to the newborn. “You want me to wear a diaper because you have on a diaper … OK we’ll be diaper twins.”
Euphoria actress Nika King says she has been unable to pay her rent for six months due to show delays.
King plays the Leslie Bennett, the mom of Zendaya’s character, Rue. Speaking on Instagram, King revealed she has no clue when the project is coming, citing Zendaya is at fashion week, and she has had trouble booking shows.
“People are like, ‘We need Season 3.’ I’m like, ‘Bitch, I need Season 3, too!’ I haven’t paid my rent in six months, and Zendaya’s over in Paris at Fashion Week. I’m like, ‘Bitch, come home! I need you. Mama need you.’”
She added, “I thought my career was on the rise after ‘Euphoria.’ I thought I was good. It don’t work that way.”
You can see the clip below.
Nika King on the status of ‘EUPHORIA’ season 3:
“I don’t know… it’s like one of those things, people are like ‘We need season three,’ and i’m like ‘B-tch I need season three, I haven’t paid my rent in six months!”
On the most recent episode of It Is What It Is podcast, co-host Ma$e claimed that if he played in today’s NBA, he feels “like I could play against these n-ggas.”
Making a very bold, yet possibly realistic statement as a former high school b-ball standout, the former Bad Boy artist said after speaking about Lebron dropping 40,000 points in his career, “40,000 points is a remarkable feat. I just think it’s a cupcake league, for real. I think in this league today, if I was in top shape, I could probably average about 15, 16. I’m just keeping it real,” he chuckled. The former Manhattan Center shooting guard added, “When I ain’t make it in my generation, I felt like, yeah, it was a few n-ggas that was probably better than me. This generation? I feel like I could play against these n-ggas.”
Go to the 29:00 mark of the podcast to hear Ma$e’s commentary:
Ma$e even added his former teammate and co-host Camron to the convo, saying, “I think Killa, you coulda probably played 20 years against these n-ggas today. You woulda averaged probably about 18.”
Cam replied, “In my prime? Maybe. I’d have to work on my jump shot. They didn’t let us shoot jump shots. Crazy shit it, I had a great jump shot when I stopped playing basketball. When we played basketball, coach would almost want to assassinate you if shot a jump shot. You had to go to the basket.”
On this date in 1995, Dr. Dre and producer Sam Sneed put together the lead single “Keep Their Heads Ringin’” from silver screen hood favorite Friday. Within two months, the Death Row Records-owned single was certified gold and appeared on Death Row’s Greatest Hits just a year later.
TheF. Gary Gray-directed video of the single features Friday cast members Faizon Love (Big Worm), Chris Tucker (Smokey), and Nia Long, ending with Chris Tucker and Faizon Love taking the plane flying away from the police.
Shout out to the Doctor and Sam Sneed for cooking this classic hit for a timeless flick! Salute!
Kid Cudi has announced his world tour. Hitting Twitter, Cudi announced that he would head out on the INSANO world tour, naming Pusha T, Jaden, and Earthgang.
The presale for Kid Cudi’s INSANO WORLD TOUR kicks off on Tuesday, March 12th at 10 am local time in North America and Wednesday, March 13th at 10 am local time in the United Kingdom and Europe. Fans can register in advance at www.insanotour.com. Tickets for the global tour will be available to the general public starting on Friday, March 15th at 10 am local time, also through www.insanotour.com.
American Express® Card Members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets and VIP packages ahead of the general public in select markets. Amex® Early Access for UK/Europe starts on Monday, March 11th at 10 am local time, continuing until Friday, March 15th at 9:00 am local time. For North American dates, Amex Early Access begins on Tuesday, March 12th at 10 am and ends on Thursday, March 14th at 10 pm local time.
Limited VIP packages will be available, starting on Tuesday, March 12th at 12 pm local time in North America and Wednesday, March 13th at 10 am local time in Europe. These exclusive offers may include early VIP access, priority check-in to the GA floor, VIP Tour Gifts, VIP merchandise, and more. Public ticket sales for the world tour commence on Friday, March 15th at 10 am local time.
Fresh from the release of his 11th studio album INSANO, Kid Cudi invites Zane Lowe into his home to discuss the project, his retirement from music, his relationship with Ye, and more.
Speaking on INSANO Cudi tells Zane, “I think that this album is a triumph, because I’ve seen a lot of people saying, yo, you sound like you can feel the happiness in the music. You can feel the joy radiating. Every note, every verse. There’s no Kid Cudi album that sounds like this. Can you imagine? 11 albums, and I was able to still do something new.”
As he nears his 40th birthday, this wide-ranging conversation sees Cudi reflect on his career, how he’s inspired the next generation of rappers, and why he loves working with Lil Yachty.
When speaking about his relationship with ‘Ye, Cudi says, “It’s usually one person does something where the other one has to defend themselves, but usually you like to keep these things private, but sometimes they can come out.”
He added, “I think in my situation it’s a little bit more complicated. Me personally, I just pray on it and walking the light and the new Scott is not angry at anyone. The new Scott doesn’t have beef with anyone, and I just try to focus on that.”
Grammy-nominated rapper Joyner Lucas has unveiled plans for his upcoming Not Now I’m Busy headlining tour, set to kick off on May 11 in Minneapolis at the Uptown Theater. The 24-city trek will feature special appearances from rappers Millyz and Dax.
The tour will include stops in major cities across the United States, such as Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, and Houston, as well as in Toronto, Canada. To cap off the cross-country tour, Joyner will revive Joyner Fest on June 22 at the DCU Center in his hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts.
Joyner Fest, which previously took place in November 2021 at The Palladium, saw a sold-out crowd of 8,000 and served as a platform for Worcester’s emerging artists to showcase their talent.
Tickets for the Not Now I’m Busy tour will be available to the public on Joyner’s website starting Friday, March 8, at 10 a.m. local time. Pre-sale tickets will be offered from Wednesday, March 6, through Thursday, March 7, at 10 p.m. local time.
The tour coincides with the release of Joyner’s highly anticipated sophomore studio album, Not Now I’m Busy, scheduled for March 22. Joyner recently unveiled the album’s artwork, generating further excitement among his fan base.
NOT NOW I’M BUSY – TOUR DATES
May 11 – Minneapolis, MN – Uptown Theater
May 13 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
May 15 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detorit
May 16 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
May 18 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre and Ballroom
May 19 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
May 20 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
May 22 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
May 24 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
May 25 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
May 26 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
May 28 – St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
May 30 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
May 31 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theater
June 1 – Dallas, TX – Gilley’s South Side Ballroom
