How would a Kodak Black and Beyoncé song sound? The “Super Gremlin” can quickly tell you.
Kodak Black was not shy about naming the most coveted future collaborator. What would have been a surprise to many may not be a surprise. Kodak Black is fresh off of his 4th studio album, Back For Everything. The “Zeze” rapper currently holds the 5th spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts with “Super Gremlin.” The track debuted in the top 10 upon its release.
The Florida native recently appeared on Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast with Gille and Walo.
During the interview, Gillie asked Kodak, “which artist he would want to work with whom he hasn’t worked with already?”
With no hesitation, Kodak says Beyoncé. Then he proceeds to sing the line he has already written for her.
“Here’s some pictures of your family and our children, baby boy you’re the only one I’m missing,” Yak sings as he replicates Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” melody.
Then he says he has the rest of the song already written. Based on Kodak’s musical ability to write melodies and hooks, the Queen Bey feature is only a matter of time.
Check out the rest of the “Super Gremlin’s” interview.
Megan Thee Stallion will soon be hitting the big screen, the H-Town Hottie is going virtual. Megan announced Monday that she is collaborating with AmazeVR for “Enter Thee Hottieverse,” the first-ever 10-city virtual reality concert tour.
According to the statement, attendees will receive a “Hottie Mounted Displays” VR headset and Meg will perform four songs in front of them.
After buying their tickets for te VR concert, fans will be able to go to their local movie theater, put on the provided “Hottie Mounted Displays” settle in, and hang out in the VR Hottieverse lobby before watching Megan.
“Virtual reality has always been an interest of mine and I’m glad that we’ll be able to make history with this experience,” the “Savage” rapper said.
“My hotties will get to watch me perform in a completely different and unique way and I appreciate the AmazeVR team for helping me to bring this VR vision to life. I can’t wait to see the Hotties show up to the tour.”
The VR concert performance will feature a multi-song set that moves through a series of environments as well as hot custom wardrobes designed just for the show.
“Enter Thee Hottieverse” virtual reality concert is set to hit select theaters in April and run through July. Go to AmazeVR.com for more info.
Los Angeles April 5-10 San Francisco April 21-24 Chicago May 5-8 Dallas May 12-15 Houston May 19-22 Atlanta May 26-29 Miami June 2-5 Charlotte June 16-19 Washington DC June 23-26 New York June 30-July 3
Last April, “Usher Bucks” hit the scene after many noticed pictures of the music legend’s face on $100 bills. Mr. Raymond made it rain in the strip club with his own money.
Many were not too happy about it. In an interview with Billboard, he further explained his reasoning for fake currency.
The idea behind Usher Bucks was really to promote the residency. And since then, there have been more conversations, thus proving roads lead to Las Vegas,” he said. “We’ve been working on the merchandise for the night, and that was the start of it.”
Now YG has stepped into the currency game. The “Bompton” rapper took to social media Sunday to put fans on notice that he’s taking a page out of Usher’s book.
“Somebody tag Usher. Tell em YG got the ‘YG bucks,’ coming to a strip club near you,” he said in the video.
After all, he recently released a new single with J. Cole and Moneybagg Yo entitled “Scared Money,” which played in the background during the video. One can assume that the prop is a promotional item for the song, similar to Usher.
According to a report from Vice. a 15-year-old Mexican girl accidentally shot and killed herself while trying to film herself holding a 9mm fully automatic UZI sub machine gun for a TikTok video.
The girl, Yasmin Esmeralda, was visiting her grandmother’s house in Guasave, Sinaloa when she asked her younger brother to record her holding the weapon. A single accidental shot went of while she held the weapon, killing the 15-year-old.
Sinaloa’s state prosecutor Sara Bruna Quinonez Estrada said to Vice, “The fact that there were weapons in the house, that weren’t controlled, is the responsibility of the adults who knew there were children in the house. That she chose to record a clip [in that way] shows that our youth is immersed in [drug cartel] culture. It’s what they hear about at all hours.”
As Black History Month comes to a close, the 2022 NAACP Image Awards cap off a month celebrating black contributions to society. After the ceremony on Saturday, February 26, the celebrating will continue in a big way with DJ Cassidy’s special Reggae edition of Pass The Mic following the 53rd NAACP Image Awards. The special, DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic: BET Afterparty 2022, brings together Reggae and dancehall icons, celebrating Reggae’s influence on hip-hop and global culture.
DJ Cassidy sat down with The Source to talk about the show, whose lineup includes artists such as Shaggy, Maxi Priest, Super Cat, Barrington Levy, Ini Kamoze, Sister Nancy, Junior Reid, Patra, and more.
The inspiration for the show came from his past experience DJing, the overwhelming success of Pass the Mic, and his passion for a wide variety of musical genres.
He describes how the overwhelming emotional response to the first Pass the Mic in July 2020 inspired him to continue and he immediately began envisioning future installments of the concept.
“Looking back, I see now that each vision was a derivative of my former record crates that I carried to each deejay gig around the world,” he explains. “Before technology changed the game, I loaded six to eight one hundred pound steel cases that each held about 100 pieces of vinyl into every New York City taxi and onto every airplane. I categorized each crate by some form genre or era of music. From the very beginning of my Pass The Mic journey, I dreamed about a Reggae edition, a manifestation of that coveted Reggae record crate. As a hip-hop kid growing up in New York City, incorporating Reggae into my deejay sets was second nature. Dancehall stars were also hip-hop stars.”
He explains how when he first began conceptualizing this edition, he “wanted to represent those iconic dancehall records that played a special role in that crate, in my repertoire, and in my life in general.”
He also emphasizes how he really wanted to represent the various diverse facets of Reggae music, unbound by era, year, or decade, stating that “each of the sixteen songs featured on this show not only holds a special place in my heart, but holds a special place in the history of Reggae music and its massive influence on hip-hop, R&B, and pop music. Some dominated the hip-hop airwaves of radio stations like Hot 97 in the 1990s, while others topped the Billboard Pop Charts in the 1980s. Some fused with R&B and achieved massive commercial success, while others remain the most sampled songs of all times. Simply put, each of these records changed the game.”
While the show will definitely have many of the Pass the Mic trademark staples, Cassidy is also quick to note that viewers are in for a special treat with some of the differences that this show promises.
“Sixteen iconic records are featured in this show, more records on one show than ever before,” he explains. “There were simply so many definitive songs I wanted to celebrate. This edition brings the rapid-fire pace of Pass the Mic to new heights.
Cassidy has also partnered with some major industry names to make the upcoming show a success. In addition to superstar television producer, Jesse Collins (who recently produced the iconic hip-hop Superbowl Halftime show) and legendary music impresario, Steve Rifkind (founder of Loud and SRC Records), Cassidy partnered with renowned Reggae renaissance woman Sharon Burke and her team of Judth Bodley and Debrina Smith. “As a producer, promoter, and manager, Sharon has been at the helm of countless iconic Reggae moments over a span of decades. I knew that with her by my side, we would create something truly special that would go down in music history”, says Cassidy.
As for the future, Cassidy has no plans to limit his Pass the Mic experience to the western hemisphere, especially since over the course of the first eight editions of Pass the Mic, one of his signature catchphrases has become, “passing the mic all over the world.”
“Through Pass The Mic, I’ve always sought to create global connections between artists and fans and build bridges between both genres and viewers. Never has that mission been more fulfilled than in this installment,” he says of the upcoming performance.
“Witnessing the massive global response that Pass The Mic: Volume One and Pass The Mic: Volume Two received, I was overwhelmed by the international influence of classic hip-hop and R&B,” he says. “I always sought for the series to connect people musically on an international level, and no edition represents that mission more effectively than this upcoming special. In the future, as Pass the Mic continues to grow both on television, the stage, and beyond, I hope to constantly expand on that mission. As Afrobeat and Reggaeton’s cultural influence continues to explode, I would love to pass the mic to the icons, past, present, and future, that shaped their global impact. During President Biden’s televised Inauguration, I passed the mic to Ozuna and Luis Fonsi in front of 40 million viewers with two records that dominated global music charts, “Taki Taki” and “Despacito.” The sky’s the limit. I’d also love to celebrate Brazilian music and pass the mic to one of my greatest musical heroes, Sergio Mendes.”
He concludes by saying that “at the end of the day, no matter the category, genre, or era of music, each installment of Pass The Mic celebrates the greatest artists and greatest songs of all time by connecting those artists to their fans in a more intimate way than ever before.”
A Kobe Bryant basketball card is selling for a major amount of money. The rare collectible was sold for $2 million dollars over the weekend as the sale was announced by PWCC Marketplace on Tuesday.
The Bryant card is a 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Emerald, but features no autograph or game-used memorabilia swatch. It’s the most expensive card sold featuring the late Los Angeles Lakers legend.
According to SI.com, the Bryant card is just one of a few basketball cards to break the $2 million threshold, joining multiple LeBron James RPAs (rookie patch autograph), a Luka Dončić Logoman auto and a Michael Jordan All Star Game-used jersey auto card.
Tuesday morning, OneOf announced their exclusive partnership with influential morning radio show The Breakfast Club hosted by Charlamagne tha God, Angela Yee and DJ Envy. Six different drops of NFTs, inspired by the morning show and its hosts, with a charitable component as well.
Tuesday afternoon a separate generative NFT art collection from Cordae will go live, after his pre-sale sold out in one minute. It was created by digital artist Shay The Surrealist. Bold and colorful, it highlights Cordae’s iconic style as seen through the lens of Shay’s pop-art inspired surrealism. Cordae has 2 GRAMMY noms, a Billboard Top 20 debut, has collaborated with everyone from Roddy Rich to Eminem, appeared in a Super Bowl commercial alongside Martin Scorsese and in XXL’s Freshman class. Shay The Surrealist is just 23, she has worked with Netflix and Adobe, and her artwork is getting huge bids on the NFT marketplaces.
Kel Mitchell has taken on a new role since starring in Nickelodeon’s iconic movie Good Burger. The two-time Emmy Award-nominated actor, producer, and comedian has now dedicated his life to God and has become a minister and an author. Now he’s taking on a new role as a gospel Hip Hop artist.
In an effort to display his devotion to the Lord, Kel is releasing a new single “Blessed Mode,” in follow up to his book BLESSED MODE: 90 Days to Level Up Your Faith.
This won’t be Kel’s first stab at music. Kel grew up in Chicago where he participated in rap battles as a kid with the likes of Common, had a cameo in music videos like Kanye West’s All Falls Down.
Kel shared exclusively with The Source, “My sister worked at Metro Music, a popular music store on the south side of Chicago. One day Common came to the store and I was able to battle him, but I rapped like Kriss Kross at the time.”
The All That actor added, “I love Hip Hop. Before I did theater, Hip Hop saved my life. I loved graffiti, I was on a break dance crew, and I’m so excited to be back representing God in music.”
“Blessed Mode” will be available on all music streaming platforms on March 11.
Kel released BLESSED MODE: 90 Days to Level Up Your Faith on December 14, 2021 and the book focuses on his ability to use his faith to push through his eternal struggles such as depression and addiction.
As you read through the pages of Blessed Mode, you will learn that in every emotional wall there is a blessed way out! You will be breaking through these walls widening that crack of light a little bit, day by day, so you can discover God’s blessings on you.”
“I hope this book can inspire others to embrace their blessings and find strength spiritually, mentally and physically! Life is a beautiful blessing giving to us by God! I cannot wait to show the world this side of me and how to activate BLESSED MODE!!
“Blessed Mode,” will be a great continuation of Kel’s evangelism. Kel went from starring in Kenan & Kel, All That, to sharing his personal relationship with the Lord and inspiring others through faith.
Be on the lookout for his new single on March 11.
Check out one of Kel’s early rap days when he made the Billboard Charts with Immature for “Watch Me Do My Thing.”
As we approach the end of Black History Month, it is essential to highlight a culture that bears an overwhelming significance amid its celebration. That culture is no other than hip-hop culture. While hip-hop has its month in November, National Hip Hop History Month, which was declared by Congress last year, is strictly dedicated to the happenings amid the all-inclusive genre of all races and ethnicities. Black History Month is generally devoted to pivotal moments in African-American culture. As the musical accomplishments of Blacks in America are often highlighted, the identity of hip-hop culture is also significant to African-American history.
Hip-hop’s existence is a product of the generational authenticity of northeastern America’s Black youth. It was a response to the conditions surrounding New York City’s Black youth’s political, economic, social, and cultural reality. With the early 1970s serving as the post-civil rights era, the social climate was filled with progressive revolutionary acts. The 1970s saw the height of the Black Arts Movement with contributions like The Last Poets, Gil-Scott Heron, for example, that showcased a flair of poetic chants that are precursors of hip-hop’s MC element.
According to author Bakari Kitwana, hip-hop’s earliest eras reflect the popular culture, globalization, pervasiveness of segregation, racial implications, and quality of life of African-American youth born between the years of 1965 and 1984. Such is evident with hip-hop’s most revered artists, including Tupac Shakur, Nas, and Kanye West, whose parents were active as activists and musicians during the civil rights era. Hip-hop was a response to the state of insecurity faced by Black and Latino youth of the South Bronx. The disco way of life was mainstream, and as the youth made attempts to participate in top-notch activities, they were utterly denied. In response, they developed a fascination with curating essential sounds, dance moves, and crews with available resources.
DJ Kool Herc conceptualized this act by creating the breakbeat. He selected two unique records and played them simultaneously, secluded the dance portion of infectious funk, soul, or R&B record-extending it into a sequence that allowed burgeoning b-boys and b-girls to shine. Herc’s companion, Coke La Rock’s deed of using the microphone during jams for shoutouts, crowd participation, and announcements was the trigger for the hip-hop MC. Thus, an activity rooted in the desire of the South Bronx’s youth bred a trend that traveled throughout the tri-state area.
Hip-hop culture spread throughout the globe, creating pivotal moments in African-American culture. The 1970s established hip-hop elements, the DJ, MC, graffiti artist, and b-boy. Disc jockeys were the hip-hop scene’s main attraction, with each pioneering DJ contributing an instrumental tactic to the craft. DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Grand Wizard Theodore are heralded as critical pioneers of hip-hop’s DJ element introducing tactics such as breakbeats, the quick-mix theory, the scratch, and mixtapes. All of whom are Black men, respectively.
The MC quickly became a talent heard on wax and wasted no time attracting voices in nearby cities. The infant culture was met with class acts including, The Funky Four Plus One More, where hip-hop saw one of their earliest female rappers, MC Sha Rock, The Sugarhill Gang, Cold Crush Brothers, Treacherous Three, and The Sequence. The Black youth of Philadelphia was also privileged to the emerging culture in New York City. Lady B’s “To The Beat Y’all” made the airwaves in 1979, confirming that the once underestimated hip-hop genre honed a purpose beyond just a leisure activity.
As hip-hop entered the 1980s, it became a solidified way of life among the Black youth in America and the demographic’s first music genre. The golden era emerged with a new generation of advanced talent and transformed the genre into an industry that changed the lives of young Black men and women. Hip-hop represented the evolution of young Blacks in America who lived amid the posterior happenings of staunch Black liberation, bringing ultimate relevance to the discussion of Black excellence. Hip-hop will forever remain relevant in the theorem of Black history.
Pepsi Stronger Together, PepsiCo’s grassroots project aimed at local communities, held a pep rally at Saint Martin de Porres High School in Cleveland’s St. Clair-Superior neighborhood, surprising students with over $37,000 in funding for their programming and future education.
Derek Lewis, President, PepsiCo Multicultural Business and Equity Development, and Fat Joe presented the school’s drumline with all new uniforms and instruments, as well as a trip to Houston to compete in an HBCU battle of the bands and $20,000 in scholarships for its seniors, in honor of the graduating class. Darius Garland, a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, made a surprise appearance, and DJ Envy, host of The Breakfast Club, played for the students, with Pepsi Stronger Together providing food and refreshments.