ABC is cancelling the Queens‘ reign after just one season. The series, starring Brandy, Eve, Naturi Naughton, and Nadine Velazquez, was one of the most anticipated music drama pilots last season,
Queens had an unmatched promotional run. Skits featuring Cam’ron and Brandy went viral. Jadakiss made his acting debut appearing on multiple episodes. All the music executive produced by Swizz Beatz.
But throughout the season, Queens, didn’t hold its rating expectations. Factor in Eve announcing her pregnancy with husband, Maximillion Cooper mid season. Fans were left wondering if the show would return following a shooting that led Eve’s character to fake her own death.
Drake’s Grammy-award-winning producer Noah “40” Shebib releases a mini-documentary titled Toronto Rising. The 14-minute doc directed by Alim Sabir, is a collaborative partnership with Native Instruments and 40.
40 is a notoriously private person, so this doc is a rare and unique look into his private life, featuring archival footage of his come-up including never-before-seen home videos of him discovering his love for the piano as a child and the early days of his legendary partnership with Drake.
I’ve always considered myself a visitor in hip hop. When I was 21, I got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I learned a lesson in the hospital, which was that as long as I had like one finger that still worked, no matter what the world took from me, I could play the keyboard and I could make music. All the things in my life just kind of pointed me in one direction. I’m here to play my part and to leave my impact.
Noah “40” Shebib
Toronto Rising serves as a backstory to the legacy 40 has built for himself . As well as inspire the next generation of producers who may be struggling to find their footing amid adversity. It’s also a love letter to Hip-Hop and the city which he and Drake played an integral role in putting on the map.
Share your thoughts on Toronto Rising with us on social media.
The Minneapolis City Planning Commission is moving forward with a proposal to rename part of First Avenue in honor of international icon, Prince.
The commission unanimously approved the Downtown Council’s request last night to add a commemorative street sign along First Avenue between 7th and 8th Street reading Prince Rogers Nelson Way.
The avenue runs along the front of First Avenue and Seventh Street Entry, the club Prince launched to fame with the iconic movie and album Purple Rain.
The city council must give final approval for the renaming of the street. It is expected to pass.
Prince died suddenly in April 2016 after an accidental opioid overdose at age 57. Throughout his career, Prince released over 40 albums.
On this day in Hip Hop history, De La Soul released their second album De La Soul is Dead.
Being one of the first albums to earned the coveted ‘Five Mics’ from The Source magazine, De La Soul Is Dead marked a change in direction for De La Soul. Although the title would suggest the end of the group as a whole, instead the meaning behind the album’s cryptic title is an allusion to the ‘death’ of this old style. Through this album, De La Soul began to separate themselves from their previous pseudo-1960 flower-child aesthetic that was set up by their popular debut. The title also represents the group’s separation from mainstream Hip Hop.
Regardless of the fact the group stuck to their skit heavy, storytelling structure, critics and charts were all but kind to this album. Unlike their uber-successful debut, De La Soul is Dead did not appear on any charts and was not recognized as a good album until years after it’s release. In the late 90s however, the album rose to critical acclaim when publications realized the impact the album had on the careers of De La Soul and Hip Hop as a whole. The album has been ranked by Rolling Stone, The Source, Pitchfork Media, and others as one of the greatest albums, regardless of genre, of the 1990s.
Following this album, De La Soul went on to be one of the most respected rap groups of their generation. The rebranding that came from De La Soul is dead allowed for De LA Soul to cross over as artists into the realm of respected artistry rather than a continuing their career riding the wave set by their debut.
With the recent arrest two of Atlanta’s biggest artist, fans have been requesting new music from Rich Homie Quan. In no time, the “Type Of Way” rapper responded. Recently, Rich Homie linked up with Bow Wheezy for a studio session.
In the short black and white video posted on social media, Bow Wow introduces Quan, and as Quan rubs his hands together he states, “What’s going on, what’s going on… I know they didn’t expect this but this is what’s going on.” The video ends just as the beat drops.
In 2013 when Rich Homie broke on to the scene as one of the fresh new faces emerging from the South. He captivated fans with his Still Goin In: Reloaded project, which included, his hit single “Type Of Way,” which peaked at No.50 on the Billboards top 100.
He then went on to drop a collaborative Rich Gang project, which included Birdman and Young Thug. The Rich Gang project went on to become an historic tape and it’s still considered one of the best collabs ever with one of the hottest songs of this era, “Lifetime.”
Since then, the two ATLiens fell out and Rich Homie flew under the radar. Well now fans are calling for him with an urgency and it’s seem like he’s going to delver.
The wait is over! After a five-year hiatus, Kendrick Lamar has finally delivered the album. Overnight K.Dot dropped his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, and the Compton emcee delivered a double disc complied with a classic Kendrick.
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is a 18-track album features, Kodack Black Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah, Thundercat, Baby Keem, Sampha, Sam Dew, Tanna Leone, Taylour Paige, Blxst, Amanda Reifer and the English singer and songwriter Beth Gibbons.
The production on his album is next level as well. Oklama, Sounwave, J.LBS, Duval Timothy, Beach Noise, Tim Maxey, Jaheen Sweet, Boi-1da, Baby Keem, Tae Beat, Dahi, FNZ, Bekon, Victor Ekpo, Frano, DJ Khalil, Cardo, Mario Luciano, Rascal, the Donuts, Craig Balmoris, Sergiu Gherman, Tyler Mehlenbacher, The Alchemist, and Pharrell all have production credits on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.
Even with the long time off from the rap game, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is still projected to be another successful body of work. If history repeats itself, this will be K.Dot’s fourth consecutive No.1 album. To Pimp a Butterfly, Untitled Unmastered and DAMN all reached No.1 the Billboard 200.
Since 2017, Lamar has appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart 50 times, with eight top 10 entries and two No. 1 hits. He also won seven Grammys and the Pulitzer Prize for music.
Kendrick’s peers respect his confidence and his competitive nature. Before the album even dropped, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was in high demand from some notable names of the culture. His fellow Compton native Roddy Ricch called Kendrick the “Compton Jesus” for delivering this album.
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is Kendrick’s last album under Top Dawg Entertainment. Check it out below.
The defense attorney for Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams argued multiple reasons why his client should be granted bail. A bond hearing was held on Wednesday for 7 additional felony charges surrounding conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
Brian Steel, defense attorney argued that Young Thug has deep ties within the Atlanta community and would not pose a flight risk. Steel reminded the courts of his clients full cooperation to search his home and compliance as he was taken into custody on Monday.
He added that the “Ski” rapper has never been convicted of a felony and has notable worldwide popularity, calling him “the Babe Ruth of the musical industry.”
Fulton County Magistrate Court, Judge Robert Wolf said that he could only rule on bond in the case of the 7 new felony charges, as the initial indictment is under the review of Fulton County Superior Court.
Despite the strong plea from Thug’s defense, Judge Wolf sided with the state denying bond, while citing a possible flight risk. He added that Thugger would pose a risk of committing additional felonies if he were released.
Young Thug will remain in jail until further notice. Watch the full court hearing below.
300 labelmates Young Thug and Gunna have been denied bail after getting indictment for RICO charges.
Both Atlanta rapper’s bond requests were turned down after they were among 28 people named in a Georgia indictment for conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Both Thug and Gunna are also facing additional felony charges spanning from possession of controlled substances to gun charges. The 88-page indictment filed on Sunday details 180 acts that support the first of the 56 separate charges for 28 alleged gang members.
Gunna and Thugger will remain in jail until further notice. Gunna is due back in court in June. Share your comments on social media.
According to several confirmed reports, Brooklyn rapper Caswell “Casanova” Senior plead guilty to drug and racketeering charges today in a Brooklyn federal court. Senior confessed to several crimes as prosecutors claimed he was the leader of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation Bloods gang.
Senior surrendered to the FBI at t he end of 2020, with prosecutors alleging that the “Don’t Run” rapper directed a drug gang conspiracy that spanned from New York to Florida. The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan says that Senior confessed to a shooting in Florida in 2020, a 2018 robbery in NYC and trafficking more than 100 kilos of marijuana.
Back in December 2020, Casanova was the centerpiece of a federal investigation, to which he surrendered to the feds on racketeering charges and was denied bail, despite his lawyers and family situating a $2.5 million bail package, but S. District Judge Phillip Halpern denied his proposal.
Even though he gave fans a timetable on when to expect the album, June, there is no official release date. However, he did reveal briefly on what to expect from his album. In April when CB teased that an album was on the way, he said “a different type of LOVE mixed wit heartbreak”
“NOT GON LIE… It take a different type of LOVE mixed wit heartbreak for some of these songs on my album,” Brown wrote on his Instagram Story. “So ahead of time…. THANK YOU [praying hands emoji].” Subsequently to the post, Tory Lanez, who heard a sneak peak of the album, raved about it.
(@thewavecheckk) 
