Fans and loved ones of Lil Durk have been showering him with love and support since his murder-for-hire arrest last week. Whether it be the “Free Durk” movement on social media platforms, other rappers and artists having his back, or family speaking out, he’s been getting good treatment. Some of it has led to some backlash. Take for instance his 10-year-old son Zayden. He put out a statement thanking his father’s fanbase for the backing and advocating on his behalf. However, it was very clearly written by the rapper’s PR team. This led to quite a large camp calling out his reps for getting his child involved, especially given his age.
But if there’s one thing to take away from all of this is that there’s a real persistence around clearing Durk’s image. Loyal listeners are doing their thing by increasing his streaming numbers by a considerable amount. In addition, there are people from all over the world marching in protest you could say. There’s video proof of this, thanks to DJ Akademiks.
As you can see in the video above, fans in Ghana are doing what they can to make their voices heard. There are people walking with OTF (Only The Family) flags and wearing t-shirts and there are tons of them. Some were vibing with it, while others are a little more upset and dismissive. “This is max level unemployment activities,” one IG user replies to the clip. “Ghanaians just need any reason to gather and celebrate ” another quips. Say you want, but Durk clearly has affected a lot of people in a positive way, and they are doing whatever they can to give back to him during this time of uncertainty.
What are your thoughts on Lil Durk having fans in Ghana protesting for his release? Do you think he will eventually be a free man or the opposite? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Lil Durk. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Meek Mill is tired of America and wants to get Ghanaian citizenship as he continues to deal with jokes about his sexuality on social media. In response, fans continued to be relentless in their trolling. “I wanna get citizenship in Ghana!!!! America made to tear black men down if you don’t follow orders!” he shared. “Africa don’t got this sh*t I’m getting dual citizenship if they let me!”
“Ghana would lock you up fam,” one user joked, referencing the country’s strict LGBTQ+ policies. Another wrote: “You know they are anti gay in Ghana….. You can not allow another man to call you “daddy” in Ghana.” One fan was more supportive: “Stay off social media for a few days. Keep it with family and your p.r team then you come back bigger and stronger bro the last few post you been all over the place.”
ACCRA, GHANA – DECEMBER 29: American rapper Robert Rihmeek Williams, known professionally as Meek. Mill performs on stage during the Afro Nation Ghana Music Festival on December 29, 2022 in Accra, Ghana. Afro Nation Ghana, the world’s biggest Afrobeats festival, will take place 29th and 30th of December in Accra at Marine Drive, Black Star Square, a site of cultural significance. (Photo by Ernest Ankomah/Getty Images)
Meek’s idea comes after he announced he had hired private investigators to look into the “cyber attacks” he’s facing online. “I just hired investigators to see to been starting these cyber attacks against black artists and leaders,” Meek wrote on Twitter. “They making blogs post anything that destroys the black house hold and powering everything else down!” He followed up: “A big company powered ‘I know the perc was fake but I still ate’ now we praying for yak mental … lil bru need his people … yall think this shit a game they have our people totally distracted! I will never be gay or a rat …. Ima die like that and ima forever step!”
Meek Mill Wants To Move To Ghana
Check out Meek’s posts on Twitter below as well as some of the replies from his followers. Be on the lookout for further updates on Meek Mill on HotNewHipHop.
I wanna get citizenship in Ghana!!!! America made to tear black men down if you don’t follow orders!
Bro I’m not good at advice but stay off social media for a few days keep it with family and your p.r team then you come back bigger and stronger bro the last few post you been all over the place.
Travis Scott is making a call to action after he found out that his good friend Virgil Abloh’s skate park in Ghana is currently in shambles. This was one of his last initiatives before he passed away, and apparently someone filled it with cement, sand, and brick walls while claiming to own the land. It seems like a very complicated and unclear situation, with some blaming the government, others advocating for its closure, and many confused about the whole thing. Regardless, the Houston MC wants something done to restore this park to its former glory, as it will keep the design legend’s legacy alive and well while opening a space for fun and community like he envisioned.
“MANNN WHATT,” Travis Scott wrote as an Instagram comment recently, presumably for a post covering this ordeal. “WHAT WE DOINNNNNGGGGGGGG. LET ME KNOW WHAT WE GOTTA DO TO GET MY BROTHER PARK BACK GOING PLEASSSSSEEEEEEE.” For those unaware, they had a close relationship, one that carries over even after the latter’s tragic loss. For example, La Flame was announced as a headliner for a festival honoring the Off-White and Louis Vuitton icon’s memory.
However, he also has other other metrics by which he wants to do right by Virgil. One of these is his own musical work, the most recent of which was his 2023 smash hit album UTOPIA. Moreover, it’s nominated for Rap Album Of The Year at the 2024 Grammys, and Travis Scott let out a tweet on Thursday (January 4) manifesting a win against Metro Boomin’s HEROES & VILLAINS, Nas’ Kings Disease III, and more. “Gotta bring that rap album [trophy emoji] for the fans demmmmm Let’s lock in UTOPIA,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, the “HYAENA” creative continued to make more strides in the fashion world, which echo Virgil’s artistry. The most recent sneaker of his we covered was the Jordan Jumpman Jack “Sail”. Hopefully the skate park finds a balance between respecting Abloh’s craft and respecting the will of Ghanians. Furthermore, for more news and the latest updates on Virgil Abloh and Travis Scott, log back into HNHH.
Ja Rule has a lot of exciting things to look forward to this year, and has decided to share his wealth with those in need. The NYC native has another album on the way, is gearing up for a tour, and just signed a major new label deal. According to him, the deal is potentially worth a whopping $100 Million, but he doesn’t plan to keep it all to himself.
The hitmaker recently took to Twitter to announce that he’ll be building a school in Ghana sometime in the near future. He expressed how eager he is to officially get started on the project, though he’s yet to specify a timeline. “I’m also building a school in Ghana can’t wait to go and break ground,” he wrote earlier this week. “Rule love the kids!!!” This isn’t the first time Ja Rule has put his hard-earned money towards better education either.
Back in 2022, he donated $25,000 from the sales of The Painted House’s first NFT to HBCU partners. ICONN Media, which he also founded, matched the donation. The money was split equally, going to Jackson State University, Morgan State University, Hampton University, Spelman College, and Morehouse College.
While Ja Rule plans to give back in 2024, he also recently shared a few words of advice for critics in the new year on Twitter, explaining why hating is not the way to go. “Thanks for the love, and to the haters, [suck my d**k],” he began. “Here’s what’s needed to be understood for 24. HATE is for suckers and d*ck riding is NOT a form of transportation. Lmao, it’s getting you nowhere… Stop being goofy and get money!!! That’s what Ja thinks.” What do you think of Ja Rule sharing that he plans to build a school in Ghana? Are you looking forward to hearing his new album? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Good news for fans of the 2017 film Girls Trip – a sequel is finally on the way, according to writer/director/producer Tracy Oliver. The news came on Monday (January 23) as the creative was promoting her Amazon Prime series, Harlem.
While speaking with the press, she revealed that GT2 has officially been greenlit. Details are mostly tightly under wraps. However, she did reveal that the upcoming project will take audiences to an exciting new setting – Africa.
BREAKING: ‘Girls Trip 2’ is set to be shot in Ghana. Writer-director-producer Tracy Oliver, has revealed. —@Afrofuture(formerly Afrochella) will be filmed as part of the movie as Oliver confirmed that the ladies of “Girls Trip” will look to attend the festival. pic.twitter.com/25nIS1LdxE
Oliver joked that her co-producer, Will Packer, “might kill [her]” as she spilled the tea. “We’re looking to set it in Ghana,” she specifically noted. Shortly after, Harlem actress Shoniqua Shandai provided another potential hit, yelling out “Afrochella!” upon hearing the good news.
Afterward, the director gave confirmation that her sequel will see the leading ladies attend the Coachella-inspired festival. In the past, artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Uncle Waffles have all taken the stage there. As a result, it’s entirely likely Girls Trip 2 will be jam-packed with infectious music.
As Okay Player notes, the production timeline is presently unknown. Seeing as the six-year anniversary of the original movie is quickly approaching, though, fans are eager for the creators to begin making moves as soon as possible.
The first Girls Trip grossed an impressive $140M at the box office worldwide with a $16M budget. Malcolm D. Lee sat in the director’s chair, and Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, and Tiffany Haddish were all cast as leads.
The latter of the four became a household name in comedy as a result of her work, and even previously admitted to using her paycheck from the film to pay off her house.
Tiffany Haddish visits the IMDb Portrait Studio at Acura Festival Village on Location at Sundance 2023 on January 23, 2023 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Corey Nickols/Getty Images for IMDb)
Prior to finding fame, Haddish experienced homelessness and didn’t want to risk repeating her past. At one point, the actress says she was living comfortably on $500 a month to ensure she could pay off her property.
Read all about that here, and let us know if you’re excited about Girls Trip 2 in the comments.
Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa organized the Black Star Line Festival in Ghana, hosted a week ago. While the festival was a celebration of art, culture, and unity in the Black community, it did receive some criticism. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the Chicago MC addressed concerns over inviting Dave Chappelle and other issues.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 02: Chance the Rapper performs on ‘Hip Hop Nation’ at the SiriusXM Studios on August 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
Moreover, Chappelle’s inclusion comes after years of a controversial history regarding jokes towards the LGBTQ+ community. Such issues permeate Ghana, where an anti-LGBTQ+ bill is supported by a large party coalition. Also, there’s the issue of outsiders exacerbating local issues of economic inequality and poor living conditions in Ghana. Many believe that the Black Star Line Festival only adds fuel to this fire.
While all these elements provided inflammatory public discourse, the “No Problem” rapper spoke to Rolling Stone about the festival’s success.
“It was a really dope and deep moment,” the artist expressed. Also, he made a comment of how his sets ended up delayed. By the time Chance performed at 5 a.m. local time, many had already left. However, that mean there was room for more unticketed guests.
“And by that time, obviously the crowd going from 50,000 to 1,500 — it’s a lot of space. I think by that time the guards and everybody are like…there’s no real reason to keep people out at that point. I think they let a few hundred people in that had stayed all night because the video towers also allowed you to see the show from outside of the square. I’m still processing the whole thing, everything. It didn’t go all as planned, but it went perfectly.
“I’ve thrown five festivals and this is the second or third free one that I’ve done,” he continued. “But none of them have been to the scale of 50,000 plus people. Then for it to be overwhelmingly black and for it to be on the continent. And for a lot of people that was their first time in Ghana, whether they were American or of the diaspora. It was completely organized and put together by black folks on the continent. I think everybody was just very happy.”
Later in the interview, Chance addressed the concerns of outsiders impacting the quality of life for Ghanan citizens.
“Most of those festivals are native to Ghana,” he said. “There’s only myself and Vic’s Black Star Line Festival and Afro Nation are the only two that I know of that aren’t actually posited by people that are from Ghana. But that was something that was on my mind from the jump when we made it. I always wanted this festival to be something that, for one, provided access to people that don’t typically get to go to these concerts because a lot of the events around that time do price people out.”
Chance also said he “wanted to work with a 100% Ghanaian team in terms of not even just the production managers or directors, but also all the stagehands, all the equipment coming from production companies in Ghana. I can’t speak for all the festivals, but our festival created a whole lot of jobs and put a lot of people to work.
“That ancestry connection has been stolen away from us.”
“The goal overall is to just create community. I think that within this trip… a lot of the people that came from the diaspora, most of the people, if not all of them, were very respectful of the space and a lot of relationships were built. A lot of people created substantial relationships and connections that I think will live long after this festival… It’s something that we just have to remain in conversation about. I think it’s important that those issues are raised, and those conversations are had.”
Afterwards, Chance spoke on Chappelle’s inclusion in the festival and how they reached different conclusions to what many assume.
“I think it’s something that Dave was actually shining a light on,” he stated. “That’s where that conversation came from. Dave was making a comment about the comedy scene in Ghana when he said, “I bet gay jokes go over so well here,” to which everybody laughed about. And he was making a point to say that in Ghana, you can make jokes about things that are about gay people, about trans people, about a lot of social constructs, just about anything in the world. But you can’t make a comment about the government there. That’s not funny and that’s not respected, and it can be dangerous. It’s the complete opposite where we come from, where we can speak about the government all we want.
“I can’t really all the way speak for Dave. I don’t want to say what he thinks or what he feels, but what I think I know about him is that he loves everybody, especially his people, meaning Black people, meaning Black people that are trans, Black people that are gay, Black people that are gender non-conforming, people period. And I think that in that space, I would say I don’t believe that he bashed trans people or gay people at all throughout the entire conversation.”
What do you think of Chance the Rapper’s comments about the backlash to his Black Star Line Festival in Ghana? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments and check out the full interview below. Also, as always, check back in with HNHH for more important conversations surrounding the community.
It was all good just a week ago, quite literally, for rapper Meek Mill. During the musician’s visit to Accra, Ghana, for Afrochella, the “Going Bad” rapper made good on his promise to deliver cinematic new visuals in the new year. Unfortunately, one of those visuals has landed the Philadelphia native in hot water. The initial overwhelming warm embrace he received from the Ghanaian people didn’t stop fans in the region from quickly checking Meek for filming a music video inside the country’s presidential home.
Ghana has shown me the most love I’ve ever felt at once!!! Thankyou
After posting the official visual to social media, the Ghanaian people called out Meek Mill and the Ghanaian government for being careless. The visual, which featured aerial shots of the grounds, could present a potential security risk to President Nana Akufo-Addo’s safety.
Meek Mill really shot a music video at Jubilee House? This is the lowest point we can get as a country
What happened to “Jubilee House is a security zone” Even American Embassy in Ghana, you can’t take pictures and Ghana allows Jubilee House to become studio.We are FINISH pic.twitter.com/IddMo26j30
Director of Diaspora Affairs & Minister of Interior, y’all really get questions answer for that Meek Mill video oooo.. how’s a drone being flown over the Jubilee house? As innnnnn???? You can’t even shoot a photo at the Independence Square & not get jumped at by ‘security’ Herh!
— Ölele | Deep Throat Sauce (@OleleSalvador) January 8, 2023
As the tweets began to flood in, Meek Mill quickly acted by removing the visuals from all of his platforms and immediately issuing an apology. “No video I drop is ever meant to disrespect the people of Ghana,” he wrote.
To the people of Ghana no video I drop is ever meant to disrespect the people of Ghana …. The fastest way to make connection is thru music and I wanted to do that with displaying art … im in my 30’s from America and didn’t know much about the lifestyle here
Meek later apologized to President Akufo-Addo’s office, ensuring that he wasn’t aware of the harm he brought to him. Meek asked for forgiveness for his ignorance from the Ghanaian that despite his hiccup, he’s “still gonna push to make the connection between Black people in America and Africa.”
My apologies to the people if any disrespect! We still gonna push to make the connection between black people in America and Africa … what I’m trying to do is more than a video and you should see coming soon! My apologies to the the office also!
Based on the responses to his apology, it seems his Ghanaian fans as willing to forgive him. But just in case, Meek may want to delete his social media accounts again, at least until it blows over.
Meek Mill is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
” another quips. Say you want, but Durk clearly has affected a lot of people in a positive way, and they are doing whatever they can to give back to him during this time of uncertainty. 
(@nojumper)
: ‘Girls Trip 2’ is set to be shot in Ghana. Writer-director-producer Tracy Oliver, has revealed.
This is the lowest point we can get as a country
Even American Embassy in Ghana, you can’t take pictures and Ghana 
