On the most recent episode of Apple Music’s Rap Life Review featuring Lowkey, Nadaska, and Eddie Francis, two of the three said that Lil Wayne would have to sequence his songs in the right order in a Verzuz battle in order to beat 50 Cent.
Lowkey said, “Wayne don’t have a Get Rich Or Die Tryin.’” I ain’t sayin’ 50 gonna wash Wayne but if Wayne’s not sequenced right, and it’s not positioned correctly, that could be a very long f***ing night.”
Envy and Charlamagne added on to the convo on The Breakfast Club with Charlamagne agreeing with Lowkey, saying, “Yes, Lil Wayne doesn’t have a Get Rich but Lil Wayne has massive, massive amounts of hits… One album cannot win you a Verzuz.” Envy cut him off by adding, “He is right… Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is a classic album but you can’t sit there and act like Lil Wayne doesn’t have classic bodies of work.”
Charlamagne said Fif “would need something more than just Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ to go against one of the top five, potentially top 3, greatest rappers alive.” DJ Envy ended the debate by saying that “50 Cent would win that battle.”
Hip-Hop podcaster and personality Taxstone has been found guilty of manslaughter in a shooting that led to the death of Ronald McPhatter, known as Banga, in Irving Plaza in New York City.
According to ABC-NY, Taxstone, legally known as Darryl Campbell, will be sentenced next month. District Attorney Alvin Bragg referred to the incident as a “tragic and deadly confrontation in a packed New York City music venue.”
Last week, rapper Troy Ave took the stand at Taxstone’s murder trial to testify about the events that caused a fatal shootout at a 2016 concert at Irving Plaza in New York City.
According to the New York Post, Troy Ave had his day in court on Monday (March 13), testifying that he shot simply out of a fight or flight response after Taxstone allegedly shot at him first.
He said there were about 100 people in the greenroom when he heard Tax yell, “What’s popping?” in what he perceived to be a “threatening” way.
“Banga turns around to me and says, ‘I’m gonna rock him,’ which means, ‘I’m gonna hit him,’” he testified. “And then I wink at him — I tell him, ‘Do your thing.’”
He alleges that’s when Tax reached for his gun, and the melee began.
Detailing the gripping situation, he said, “When the shot goes off, I see the light from the spark, and I hear the shot. This is all happening fast. I get up and start fighting Taxstone, trying to take him, grab the gun, and another shot goes off. I put my leg up to kind of block the shot from hitting me in the face or chest.”
According to Troy, that’s when Tax shot him in both legs.
“If it’s fight or flight, I’m always going to fight because at that point you could die,” Ave reportedly told the Manhattan Supreme Court. “I’d rather die fighting. People die from leg shots. I’d rather die fighting than laying on the ground.”
Troy Ave said he was then able to wrestle the gun out of Tax’s hands – but it then misfired and that’s when he noticed his bodyguard laying face down on the ground.
Ronald “Banga” McPhatter was pronounced dead in the aftermath. Two bystanders were also wounded.
Troy Ave was initially charged with attempted murder and gun possession for his role in the incident. While the Brooklyn-bred rapper was put behind bars at first, his legal team negotiated a one-year sentence — instead of the 15 years he could have faced — in exchange for his testimony at Tax’s trial.
Taxstone and Troy Ave had a history of beef that came to a head over when they ran into each other backstage at T.I.’s show. Troy— who said he wasn’t supposed to be there —was set to be an opening act. Tax was charged in January 2017 after police said they found his DNA on the gun used in the shooting.
31 years ago today, Chi Ali released his first and only album The Fabulous Chi-Ali. Chi-Ali first appeared on De La Soul’s single “Say No Go” and on Black Sheep’s debut album, A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing featured on “Pass the 40”. Chi Ali at the time was a core member of Native Tongues, a New York City-based hip-hop collective, and also had connections with the Legion family, along with Showbiz and A.G.
In 1992, Chi-Ali released his first solo single, “Age Ain’t Nothing But a #”, which was a moderate hit and reached #6 in the US Hot Rap Singles chart. The song was popular on urban radio stations, and the music video received good rotation on Yo! MTV Raps and Rap City. The album in which the song was featured was released shortly thereafter, which yielded two other singles; “Roadrunner” and “Funky Lemonade,” which were both remixed and re-recorded.
In the late 1990s, Chi-Ali appeared on Dres’s solo album, Sure Shot Redemption, and began featuring with other artists. His most recent collabo was with Jadakiss on a song entitled “G-Check”.
On January 14, 2000, Chi-Ali shot and killed a man during an argument in The Bronx. He was later arrested in 2001 for the death of his girlfriend’s brother, Sean Raymond, after spending a year evading police and even appeared on an episode of America’s Most Wanted. Chi-Ali hid in numerous East Coast cities until he was apprehended on March 5, 2001, in New York City and was subsequently convicted of the killing and served a 12-year bid at Sing Sing Correctional Facility.
In the much-talked-about new reality TV show ‘Queens of R&B’ Xscape singer Tamika Scott accuses her sister LaTocha and her husband / manager Rocky Bivens of stealing her royalty checks. The accusation has caused a whirlwind response of people pleading with Latocha to pay her sister what she owes her and fix their relationship.
In a recent interview Tamika reveals exactly how her sister and husband allegedly swindled her out of her money during a time she needed it most. The Xscape member also reveals how she found out.
Tamika says it began after Xscape singer Tiny’s mother, Diane Cottle, found out about a royalty distribution service for recording artists and signed Xscape up to receive checks.
After a particularly large check arrived Tiny’s mom called Tamika to congratulate her, but that was the first time Tamika had heard anything about it.
Tiny’s mother did some digging and found out Tamika’s address at the distribution center had been changed from her address in New York to her mother’s address in Atlanta, where LaTocha and Rocky were staying, and that the checks had been cashed through Rocky’s bank account with Tameka’s signature forged on the back of the checks. Watch the video below.
On this day in Hip Hop history, Dirty South-based group Arrested Development released their debut album 3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in The Life Of…. Released during a time in Hip Hop where West Coast gangster rap reigned supreme, Arrested Development was able to grab hearts and minds around the globe with their smooth Hip-Hop sounds and Afrocentric themes. Much like the Afrocentric movement of New York Hip-Hop, Arrested Development strayed away from negativity to give their listeners a message they could walk away with after listening.
Along with having a largely positive critical reception, 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of… was commercially successful. The album peaked at #3 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop chart, #3 on the UK Albums Chart, and #7 on the Billboard 200 chart. The project’s singles ” Everyday People,” “Tennessee,” and “Mr. Wendal” were all top 10 hits in the United States.
“Everyday People” was a #1 Hot Rap Single and peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Mr. Wendal” claimed the #6 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. “Tennessee” peaked at #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop chart but never made an appearance on the Billboard Hot 100. Although it wasn’t a mainstream chart-topper, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included it on their list of 500 songs that shaped rock n’ roll.
Four years ago Beyoncé partnered with Adidas for the relaunch of her athletic/leisure line Ivy Park for an icon celebrity drop that had the girls (and guys) in a frenzy.
A source close to the situation tells The Hollywood Reporter that the Grammy-winning entrepreneur and the German lifestyle brand have mutually agreed to part ways.
In 2018, Beyoncé entered a creative partnership with Adidas, where she relaunched her Ivy Park activewear line and also developed new footwear and apparel for the brand.
But there has apparently been major creative differences between Ivy Park and Adidas, and Beyoncé is excitedly looking to reclaim her brand, chart her own path and maintain creative freedom.’ Will the Queen Bey do it again?
A slew of celebrities and notables came out in ATL to celebrate the life of D4L founder, the late Shawty Lo, who would’ve turned 47 years old if he were alive today. The Dungeon Family’s Cee-Lo Green was in attendance and made a grand entrance on horseback, but it didn’t end how he expected.
Cee-Lo was all smiles while riding into the The Bank on horseback until the horse threw the “Crazy” singer from his back onto the ground. Cee=Lo was not seriously injured, as the video shows him smiling again after picking himself up.
In a revealing episode of Lead By Example with GS Warriors General Manager Bob Myers, rap wunderkind and b-ball enthusiast J. Cole told Myers he believed he had a real shot at the NBA, but a cigarette habit at the tender age of 6 made that dream in particular a little harder to reach.
Cole, a Fayetteville, NC native, revealed that by six years old, he had already developed an unhealthy habit; smoking cigarettes. “At 6 years old, I was smoking cigarettes regularly around the neighborhood,” says Cole. “I was always hanging around the older kids in the neighborhood that [my older brother, Zach] was hanging around and they were smoking. And I was young and fearless and trying to be cool.”
The World Baseball Classic came to a dramatic conclusion yesterday when Team Japan’s Shohei Ohtani struck out Team USA captain Mike Trout, finishing up the tourney undefeated and taking home the gold. Another unexpected occurrence was Mexico surprisingly making it to the semi-finals, with an elimination game against Puerto Rico.
The Mexico/Puerto Rico match-up happened at Miami’s Loan Depot, with a host of celebrities on hand, including controversial Brooklyn rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, who is the son of a Puerto Rican father and Mexican mother. When Mexico pulled off their comeback against PR, a video of Tekashi wearing a Mexico jersey and waving Mexico’s flag went viral after a fan of Team Puerto Rico threw a beer in his face.
After that, more footage of the “Gummo” rapper at the WBC appeared online, with him arguing about why he only claims his Mexican heritage, yet denounces his Puerto Rican roots. Three days after that video surfaced, another video of Tekashi getting beat down inside of the locker room of a Miami LA Fitness made its way to the blogosphere.
Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon and his team take fans behind the scenes of the official music video for “Ice Cream,” featuring Ghostface Killah, Method Man and Cappadonna from his Only Built 4 Cuban Linx album in the latest installment of Vevo Footnotes, premiering today. The exclusive content is part of Vevo’s celebration to honor the historic 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop.
In the episode, Raekwon stresses the importance of the song in celebrating women in hip-hop and showcasing the diversity of beauty in its music video. He also shares he was looking for something “soft but heartfelt” for the album and that the RZA-produced track and ice cream truck sample was perfect to inspire the lyrics and make it happen. Director Ralph McDaniels notes that filming in Jamaica, Queens posed challenges with crowd control once word spread of their location and that his favorite moment was the impromptu casting for the scene with Ghostface Killah. While Raekwon’s manager, Rashida Watler, further discusses how the music video influenced hip-hop fashion and discusses the instant impact of “Ice Cream” on the hip-hop community.
