Hip Hop News

The main attraction at Top Dawg Entertainment, Kendrick Lamar, has officially announced that he’s departing from the label. He penned an open letter to his millions of fans across the world, issuing an update on the status of his next studio album, as well as his future with TDE.

“As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years,” he wrote in the letter, which was posted to a new website, called oklama.com. “The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling. There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I’ve prayed for you all. See you soon enough.”

With this being the first time we’ve heard from Kendrick Lamar in months, fans are dissecting every little bit of his message. Of course, it’s an extremely bittersweet moment to hear that Kendrick will be parting ways from the label, but it also leaves room for Top Dawg to help grow the careers of many other rising artists, as well as rappers that are already signed to the team. 

The writing has been on the wall for over a year. Ever since Kendrick established pgLang with Dave Free, Baby Keem, and others, it became clear that the rapper might be transitioning over to his own imprint. Perhaps, pgLang will be better detailed in the coming months, after we receive the final TDE offering from Kendrick.

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

Take a look at how people have been reacting below. 

Demi Lovato says that breaking off their engagement to Max Ehrich allowed them to find their true self. In a new interview with The 19th, Lovato, who currently identifies as non-binary, admitted that they might be trans.

“There might be a time where I identify as trans. I don’t know what this looks like for me. There might be a time where I identify as non-binary and gender-nonconforming my entire life,” Lovato explained in the interview.

They continued: “Or maybe there’s a period of time when I get older that I identify as a woman, I don’t know what that looks like, but for me, in this moment right now, this is how I identify.”

Mike Lawrie / Getty Images

Lovato explained that ending things with Ehrich allowed them to stand on their “own two feet without needing someone else to validate” them or to make them “feel accepted.”

“And when I said goodbye to that relationship, I also said goodbye to everything that was holding me back from being my most authentic self,” Lovato added.

Lovato says that being in a straight relationship was good, but led to them suppressing non-heteronormative aspects of themself.

“I met someone and I got into this straight relationship, and that was great,” they explained, “but that led me to ignoring all the parts of myself that I didn’t think were digestible for my partner at the time, who ended up becoming my fiancé.”

Lovato and Ehrich were engaged for a period of several months in the summer and fall of 2020.

[Via]

Longtime fans of Michael Jordan and his sneaker output would probably agree that one of his greatest shoes of all time is the Air Jordan 11. This was the first shoe he released after his return from baseball and it is one of those shoes that continues to stand the test of time. Every single year, new colorways and retros are released, and 2021 is about to be no exception. For instance, in December we will see the return of the Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey,” and in November we will get the Air Jordan 11 “Animal Instinct.”

Thanks to Sneaker Bar Detroit, we now have some in-hand images of the Air Jordan 11 “Animal Instinct,” and as you can tell, this is going to be a wild shoe. The top part of the upper is black here, all while the overlays that wrap around the shoe are beige and black with various animal patterns, From cheetahs to zebras, we have a lot of representation here, and it makes for a dope sneaker that will truly stand out within your outfit.

As for the release date, these are slated to drop on November 26th which just so happens to be Black Friday. This is a shoe that will drop as a women’s exclusive and it will cost $225 USD. Let us know what you think, in the comments below.

Kylie Jenner is reportedly expecting her second child with Travis Scott, according to Page Six. The report comes after Caitlyn Jenner recently teased that her next grandchild is “in the oven.”

The sources tell Page Six that the entire Kardashian family is “thrilled” with the news.

Tommaso Boddi / Getty Images

Kylie and Scott’s 3-year-old daughter, Stormi, was born on February 1, 2018. In the time since, both have engaged in an on-and-off relationship while raising their first child.

Kylie discussed the idea of having a second child during an interview in Harper’s Bazaar for its March 2020 issue, but at the time said she had no plans: “My friends all pressure me about it … They love Stormi. I definitely feel pressure to give her a sibling, but there’s no plan.”

While it wasn’t in the plans at the time, Kylie has admitted she plans on having many more than just one child. On Stassie Karanikolaou’s #DoYourPart Instagram Live series, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star said she’d eventually like to have as many as seven kids: “I want seven kids down the line, but not right now.”

She explained: “Pregnancy is just not a joke; it’s a serious thing and it’s hard. I’m not ready for that just yet.” 

[Via]

Kendrick Lamar is one of the biggest artists in the world and over the last four years, fans have been wondering as to when he will release his next album. There have been various teasers and rumors, but nothing concrete has been reported from Lamar’s camp. As for as interviews are concerned, the rapper has remained lowkey, and fans have speculated on whether or not this could mean that a new album is on the way.

Well, today, Kendrick finally gave us some insight on what’s going on, and it’s quite shocking, to say the least. In a new post to Instagram, Kendrick unveiled a new website called oklama.com which features one single clickable link called “nu thoughts.” Within this link contains a message to his fans. As K Dot explains, he has been through a lot over the last year, and that his pain is being reflected in his art. He also drops a bombshell, noting that his next album is his last with TDE.

Ser Baffo/Getty Images for BET

Per Kendrick:

“I spend most of my days with fleeting thoughts. Writing. Listening. And collecting old Beach cruisers. The morning rides keep me on a hill of silence.

I go months without a phone.

Love, loss, and grief have disturbed my comfort zone, but the glimmers of God speak through my music and family.

While the world around me evolves, I reflect on what matters the most. The life in which my words will land next.

As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years. The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling.

There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown.

Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I’ve prayed for you all.

See you soon enough.”

Image via Kendrick Lamar

Based on the message, it would appear as though an album is, indeed, on the way, although there is no timeline as to when it will be released. Interestingly enough, Punch from TDE has already reacted to the news, telling a fan “it’s funny you should ask,” after said fan wanted to know when Kendrick’s new album would be dropping.

This news is a lot to process for many Kendrick fans, and it should be interesting to see what the artist does over the coming weeks. Kendrick is good at keeping things under wraps, so stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates on his upcoming new project.