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Today in Hip Hop History: EPMD Dropped Their Sophomore LP ‘Unfinished Business’ 34 Years Ago

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On this day in Hip-Hop history, New York duo EPMD released their second studio LP, Unfinished Business. Certified gold by the RIAA, this album was the critically acclaimed follow-up to the group’s debut Strictly Business.

Claiming the #1 spot on the Top R&B/Hip Hop charts, this project has proven its timelessness. EPMD’s style sets them and this album apart from what was currently popular in New York at the time. In ’89, New York Hip Hop was heavily saturated with conscious boom-bap, and the braggadocio lyricism of Erick Sermon and PMD brought something fresh to the rap game. EPMD’s rap style helped pave the way for the flashy New York rappers of the next generation, such as Jay-Z, The Diplomats, and A$AP Mob.

The single from this project, So What Cha Sayin’, peaked at #23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart and #5 on the Top Rap chart.

The post Today in Hip Hop History: EPMD Dropped Their Sophomore LP ‘Unfinished Business’ 34 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today in Hip Hop History: EPMD Dropped Their Sophomore LP ‘Unfinished Business’ 34 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Cardi B Facing Potential Charges After Mic-Throwing Incident at Vegas Performance

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Cardi B on Mic Throwing Incident: 'I Said Splash my P****, No My Face'

The fallout from Cardi B’s mic-throwing incident continues. Cardi B faces a potential battery charge after the Las Vegas pool party.

In case you missed it, Cardi B rocketed her microphone at a fan who threw a drink at her, splashing her in the face. According to Variety, the fan reported with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department on Sunday (July 30).

“On July 30, 2023, an individual came into an LVMPD police station to report a battery,” the LVMPD statement reads. “According to the victim, she was attending an event on July 29, 2023, at a property located in the 3500 block of Las Vegas Boulevard. During a concert, she was struck by an item that was thrown from the stage.”

In a new clip, Cardi says, “I said splash my pussy, not my face bitch.” It was the departing message for Cardi’s set.

That wasn’t the only time Cardi threw a mic. The night before, the DJ at her Drai’s show caught a mic too. There aren’t any details why she tossed the mic in that incident.

The post Cardi B Facing Potential Charges After Mic-Throwing Incident at Vegas Performance first appeared on The Source.

The post Cardi B Facing Potential Charges After Mic-Throwing Incident at Vegas Performance appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Big L’s Second And Final Album ‘The Big Picture’ Dropped 23 Years Ago

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On this date in 2000, Big L’s posthumous album The Big Picture was released on Rawkus Records. The LP was originally slated as the late Lamont Coleman’s debut album, but L was tragically murdered in Harlem while the album was in production.

The album was produced by DJ Premier, Ron Browz, Ron G, Lord Finesse, Pete Rock, Shomari, Mike Heron, Ysae, and Showbiz and features appearances from Fat Joe, Guru, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane and the late Tupac Shakur.

Big L is regarded as one of the games best emcees that never got their chance in the spotlight, however, because of his ability to foresee great talent, he was the one who introduced Jay-Z as a force in 90s era crime rhyme, which dominated NYC Hip Hop via the Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show in 89.9 FM in 1995.

Big up to the Rawkus team, the entire DITC and Big L himself for this eternal Hip Hop classic!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Big L’s Second And Final Album ‘The Big Picture’ Dropped 23 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Big L’s Second And Final Album ‘The Big Picture’ Dropped 23 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Angus Cloud’s Family Reveals He Struggled with the Loss of His Father

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Angus Cloud's Family Reveals He Struggled with the Loss of His Father

Ahead of his death, reports state Angus Cloud was struggling with his father’s death. Cloud’s death was revealed on Monday, highlighting his father had died weeks before.

Cloud’s family released a statement detailing they lost an “incredible human” that filled the role of “artist, a friend, a brother and a son.”

The statement to TMZ also noted Cloud recently lost his father.

“Last week he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss,” the statement reads. “The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend.”

They added, “Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence.”

The post Angus Cloud’s Family Reveals He Struggled with the Loss of His Father first appeared on The Source.

The post Angus Cloud’s Family Reveals He Struggled with the Loss of His Father appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Raekwon’s Infamous ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’ Album AKA “The Purple Tape” Dropped 28 Years Ago

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Twenty-eight years ago today, one of the greatest conceptual albums in the history of Hip Hop was released. Raekwon The Chef released his debut album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, guest-starring his right-hand man, Ghostface Killah aka Tony Starks.

Released on the Loud/RCA imprint and produced exclusively by The Abbott himself, Only Built For Cuban Linx was available on cassette, which was manufactured and distributed in a violet casing, thus, spawning its nickname. The album’s influence was tremendous on other landmark LPs of that era including Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt and Nas’ It Was Written, with heavy mafia references, the introduction of Cristal to the hood, and constant usage of the 5% Nation’s language of Supreme Mathematics and Supreme Alphabets in the lyrical content. The album also introduced the other WTC members via their aliases i.e. RZA is Bobby Steele, Ghost as “Tony Starks”, Deck is “Rollie Fingers”, Meth is, of course, “Johnny Blaze”, Masta Killa as “Noodles”, the Genius as “Maximillian” the Chef as “Lou Diamonds” and all together known as the “Wu-Gambinos”, which is the 16th track on the journey.

The Four and a Half Mic Classic’s(writer Nicholas Poluhoff) storyline plays out as a film, using many samples of John Woo’s Killer as an interlude between several tracks. The album contained several classic singles that had lives of their own in others spaces. The platinum-selling album yielded legendary hits such as the radio/female friendly “Ice Cream”, the inspirational “Glaciers Of Ice”, the genre sparking “Criminology”, which gave birth to many “Shark N****s”, which was an ode to biters and commanding them to “be original”. Ghost even shot a dart at the late B.I.G., accusing the slain legend of biting Nas’ pre-adolescent album cover concept. The album concludes with a positive build from the late Popa Wu aka Freedum Allah, which reminisces about the past life of a young, crime Raekwon who evolved into the multi-faceted individual seen today, which ironically is called “North Star(Jewels)”.

This platinum-selling time capsule is a must-have for all real Hip Hop fans, aficionados, critics, and historians. Salute to the entire Wu, especially Rae, Starks, and the RZA for this gem. We will forever be in debt to you guys for the “Purple Tape”.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Raekwon’s Infamous ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’ Album AKA “The Purple Tape” Dropped 28 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Raekwon’s Infamous ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’ Album AKA “The Purple Tape” Dropped 28 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Lil Kim Says Edits on Her Forthcoming Autobiography Are Done

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Lil Kim is getting ready to introduce her fans to the full range of her world. Hitting Instagram, The Queen Bee announced that the edits of her autobiography are complete.

Titled The Queen Bee, Lil Kim revealed the edits are done, with Marc Jacobs on the foreword and assisted by a former journalist of The Source, Kathy Iandoli.

“It’s been a long journey beehive, edits are finally done 🙌 Thank you to my bestie/soulmate @themarcjacobs for doing my forward,” Kim wrote.

You can see the announcement below.

The post Lil Kim Says Edits on Her Forthcoming Autobiography Are Done first appeared on The Source.

The post Lil Kim Says Edits on Her Forthcoming Autobiography Are Done appeared first on The Source.

Drake Remembers ‘Euphoria’ Star Angus Cloud: ‘Good Soul’

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Drake Remembers 'Euphoria' Star Angus Cloud: 'Good Soul'

Euphoria star Angus Cloud died at the age of 25 on July 31. With his death rippling across the entertainment industry, Drake, producer for Euphoria, offered a salute to Cloud.

Drake posted a picture of Cloud to his Instagram story, penning “Good soul 😢🕊.”

Cloud’s family released a statement after news broke of his death:

“It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an incredible human today. As an artist, a friend, a brother and a son, Angus was special to all of us in so many ways. Last week he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss. The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence.

We hope the world remembers him for his humor, laughter and love for everyone. We ask for privacy at this time as we are still processing this devastating loss.”

The post Drake Remembers ‘Euphoria’ Star Angus Cloud: ‘Good Soul’ first appeared on The Source.

The post Drake Remembers ‘Euphoria’ Star Angus Cloud: ‘Good Soul’ appeared first on The Source.

Henreitta Lacks’ Family Announces Settlement for Her Stolen Cells on What Would Have Been Her 103rd Birthday

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Henreitta Lacks' Family Announces Settlement for Her Stolen Cells on What Would Have Been Her 103rd Birthday

On Henrietta Lacks’ 103rd birthday, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and the family of Henrietta Lacks will hold a news conference to announce a settlement. The lawsuit was filed against Thermo Fisher by Attorney Ben Crump and Attorney Chris Seeger of Seeger Weiss on behalf of the Estate of Henrietta Lacks in 2021.

The Lacks family also thanked U.S. Congressmen Kweisi Mfume, Chris Van Hollen, and Ben Cardin for introducing legislation to honor Henrietta Lacks with the Congressional Gold Medal. This recognition acknowledges her significant contributions to medicine and the world.

Attorneys Crump and Seeger released the following statement to The Source:

“Members of the family of Henrietta Lacks and Thermo Fisher have agreed to settle the litigation filed by Henrietta Lacks’ Estate, in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. The terms of the agreement will be confidential. The parties are pleased that they were able to find a way to resolve this matter outside of Court and will have no further comment about the settlement.”

The settlement indicates the first of many complaints involving compensation for Lacks’ “HeLa” cells, which were the world’s first that could be replicated outside the body. Lacks’ cells were taken while she received cervical cancer treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She would die months after the treatment as it was ineffective against her cancer.

Lacks’ cells were believed to need consent for the use, and according to The Baltimore Banner, Thermo Fisher Scientific officials believed the legal action was too late. Lacks’ cells were used to develop polio and COVID-19 vaccines, among other treatments.

The post Henreitta Lacks’ Family Announces Settlement for Her Stolen Cells on What Would Have Been Her 103rd Birthday first appeared on The Source.

The post Henreitta Lacks’ Family Announces Settlement for Her Stolen Cells on What Would Have Been Her 103rd Birthday appeared first on The Source.

Nicki Minaj Continues to Tease ‘Pink Friday 2,’ Promises Fans to Have ‘Eargasms’

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Nicki Minaj continues to get fans ready for Pink Friday 2. In her latest tweet update, Minaj guarantees “eargasms” as she worked on her current Top 2 songs from the body of work.

“Yesterday I worked on my current TOP 2 songs off PF2,” Minaj wrote on Twitter. “The eargasms that YALL are about to have. Ooohhhh chiiiii huntyyyyy don’t make dat serveeee.”

In a previous update, Minaj declared what would happen when Pink Friday 2 dropped.

“Y’all, I’m not even kidding. In 111 days…Pink Friday 2 is coming to save & restore hope in mankind omg barbz I love you I dooooo!” Minajr wrote.

In a separate tweet, she stated, “The barbz will gather around the camp fire and well… you’ll have to wait to see what we do next.”

READ MORE: Nicki Minaj, Issa Rae join celebrities at ‘Barbie’ world premiere

Nicki Minaj has announced her new album will be a sequel to Pink Friday and has a new release date. Hitting Instagram, Minaj moved the project from the October release date to Nov. 17.

“Dear Barbz, I’ve been trying to find the right time to tell you this for a few days,” Minaj wrote on Instagram. “Due to some really exciting news that I’ll share with you guys @ a later time, I’ve shifted the album date just a tad bit. Trust me, it’ll be WELL WORTH THE WAIT…but since I AM shifting the date just a tad, I’d like to give you guys a tiny SIP of some more album tea so that I don’t have to get cussed out 🙁 so…here it goes: 🎀 MY NEW ALBUM WILL BE RELEASED ON 11.17.23.”

She added, “and she shall be called: Pink Friday 2”

I love you guys so much. I am so grateful for the years of support & love you guys have given me. At times maybe I didn’t even deserve all that you have poured into me. Nonetheless, you. will. love. this. album. I will give tour deets closer to that time, but obviously the tour will start around the first quarter of 2024. I’ll also share the REAL album cover at a later date.

– Nicki Minaj

The post Nicki Minaj Continues to Tease ‘Pink Friday 2,’ Promises Fans to Have ‘Eargasms’ first appeared on The Source.

The post Nicki Minaj Continues to Tease ‘Pink Friday 2,’ Promises Fans to Have ‘Eargasms’ appeared first on The Source.

Offset Says Cardi B Didn’t Cheat on Him, He Just Had Too Much Casamigos

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Offset is officially backtracking accusations of Cardi B cheating on him. At the end of June, Offset got the timeline in an uproar by suggesting Cardi B cheated on him, getting a response from the rap queen via Twitter spaces. Cardi would say, “Stop acting stupid.”

Cardi B opened the audio stream by singing Keyshia Cole’s “I Should’ve Cheated” before giving a more formal statement.

“Don’t pay attention to the country man, y’all,” Cardi said. “I’m fuckin Cardi B. If I was giving this pussy to anybody, it would be out. I’m just not anybody. I can’t fuckin no regular degular shmegular because they gon tell the world. I can’t fuck nobody in the industry cause they gon tell too.

“So please boy, stop acting stupid. Don’t play with me.”

READ MORE: Offset Details Bet Awards 2023 Tribute to Takeoff: ‘It Cleared My Soul’

Now, Offset revealed to Angela Yee the moment sparked because he had too much tequila in his system.

“That post, to be honest, that’s my wife, I love her to death,” Offset opened. If you got a New York woman, you got a pitbull at the mouth. We was going back and forth, I like a lil Casamigos, I was lit and I said, ‘watch this.’ I love my wife at the end of the day but she crazy man.”

Cardi’s message came after a post-and-delete from Offset, which Cardi says stems from another Twitter Spaces chat.

READ MORE: YouTuber Tasha K Reveals Rapper Offset’s Alleged Side Chick

Offset is taking it to a new level, dropping off the single for “Jealousy” featuring Cardi B. The video opens with Jamie Lee Curtis narrating the drama. The two directly address the issues between the two in the bars. In the visual, Offset evokes Jodi from Baby Boy, leaving the crib and hopping on his bike to ride through the streets of LA.

Keeping it to the Baby Boy theme, Cardi B calls her homegirl to complain, who happened to be the original Yvette, Taraji P. Henson.

After an impressive opening run from Offset, including a beat transition that forces a head nod, Cardi B tags in for a float of her own, adding on to her impressive run of features through 2023.

“Jealousy” is the first single from Offset’s forthcoming album. You can see the Offset directed video below.

The post Offset Says Cardi B Didn’t Cheat on Him, He Just Had Too Much Casamigos first appeared on The Source.

The post Offset Says Cardi B Didn’t Cheat on Him, He Just Had Too Much Casamigos appeared first on The Source.