Hip Hop News

Logic is set to release his highly anticipated memoir, This Bright Future, in September through publisher Simon & Schuster. The book will see Logic touching on his struggles with mental health and traumatic upbringing, his retirement, and his family.

This Bright Future sees Logic arguably at his most candid yet. He discusses his upbringing in particular and living with a troubled mother in the book.

“My mom had always been terrified of the world, and now I was, too,” he says in an excerpt provided ahead of the book’s release. “Together the two of us never left the house. Most days I just stayed in my room.”

Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images

Despite having since returned with a new project, Bobby Tarantino III, Logic famously shocked fans in the summer of 2020 by announcing his retirement. In his new memoir, the rapper also opens about making that decision.

“In the end, my decision to retire wasn’t just about what I had decided to leave behind,” he writes. “It wasn’t about what I was retiring from. It was about what I was retiring to. Part of what had kept me stuck in such a dark place for so long was not believing I had any other place where I could go. Now I did. By the fall of 2019 the Confessions tour was winding down and all I could think about was getting home to Brittney and Little Bobby growing in her tummy and settling in to get our home ready for the day he arrived. I was blowing out as many arenas as I could so I could take the next year off and just be with my family, but before I could head home I had to make one stop. I wanted to meet my little brother.”

Later, and for the first time publically, he discusses his attempts to adopt his younger half-brother.

This Bright Future will be available on September 7. The memoir is available for preorder here.

Following a two-week hiatus, the Staff Picks Playlist has returned with all of the hottest new music in one place. With a lot of catching up to do, the playlist returns following project releases from Nas, Benny The Butcher, and many more, meaning this week’s update is filled to the brim with songs that you’ll want to add to your personal playlists. Unfortunately, *checks notes*, we’re still without Kanye West’s DONDA though, so we’re all still waiting for news on that before it dominates the playlist.

For this week’s update, our staff shows out with a bunch of creme-de-la-creme rappers, including Nas with “Death Row East,” JID with “Ambassel,” Denzel Curry with “The Game,” Boldy James with “Brickmile to Montana,” and a number of Benny The Butcher cuts. Of course, some of our writers took a more mainstream route, nominating Lizzo’s new single with Cardi B, Lil Nas X’s “INDUSTRY BABY” with Jack Harlow, and more. Still, you’ll likely be able to find one or two songs that weren’t on your radar here.

If you’re interested in seeing which writer picked which songs, scroll down to see our individual picks. Enjoy this week’s playlist update and be sure to subscribe to our pages on SoundCloud and TIDAL.

Alex Zidel (Editorial)

Swae Lee – Ball Is Life (feat. Jack Harlow)
Wizkid – Essence (feat. Justin Bieber & Tems)
Sleepy Hallow – 2055 (feat. Coi Leray)
Smiley – Over The Top (feat. Drake)
Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow – INDUSTRY BABY

Mitch Findlay (Editorial)

Denzel Curry – The Game
Boldy James & The Alchemist – Brickmile To Montana (feat. Benny The Butcher)
Nas – Death Row East
Ludacris – Butter.Atl
JID – Ambassel

Alex Cole (Editorial)

Pell – Flight (feat. Dave B)
Nao – Wait
Benny The Butcher – The Iron Curtain
Benny The Butcher – Flood The Block
Jackboy – You Can Go (Na Na Na)

Rose Lilah (Editorial)

Money Man – Live Sum Mo
Young Nudy – Keep It In The Street
Jenevieve – Résumé
Nas – Death Row East
Young Nudy – Know How I Rock (feat. PeeWee LongWay)

Joshua Robinson (Editorial)

K Camp – Slauson
K Camp – Rare Film
Injury Reserve – Knees
Nao – Wait
Rexx Life Raj – Calling (feat. Terrace Martin)

Cole Blake (Editorial)

Benny The Butcher – Fly With Me (feat. Conway the Machine)
Injury Reserve – Knees
$uicideboy$ – Life Is but a Stream~
JID – Ambassel
Swae Lee – Ball Is Life (feat. Jack Harlow)

Erika Marie (Editorial)

Lizzo – Rumors (feat. Cardi B)
Ludacris – Butter.Atl
Benny The Butcher – Flood The Block
D Smoke – Shame On You
Wale – Down South (feat. Yella Beezy & Maxo Kream)

Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open just a few months ago after she revealed that she was dealing with some mental health issues. This was all in the midst of a controversy that was created when she said she would no longer do post-match press conferences. Many reporters were upset with her decision and it ultimately led to her withdrawal from the French Open, and even Wimbledon.

Today, Osaka held her first press conference since the French Open incident, and as it turns out, things didn’t go so well. While fielding questions ahead of the Western & Southern Open, a journalist asked Osaka about her profile in the media and how she benefits from it. According to journalist Ben Rothenberg, the reporter aggressively asked why Osaka feels like she can avoid the media when it is the media who has propped her up. The tone of the reporter caught Osaka off guard and she began to cry before leaving the podium, only to return later.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

According to TMZ, Osaka’s agent Stuart Duguid was absolutely incensed about the reporter’s tone and made a statement saying “The bully at the Cincinnati Enquirer is the epitome of why player/media relations are so fraught right now. Everyone on that Zoom will agree that his tone was all wrong and his sole purpose was to intimidate. Really appalling behavior. And this insinuation that Naomi owes her off-court success to the media is a myth – don’t be so self-indulgent.”

With Osaka coming back to tournament play, the belief was that the media would be more sympathetic towards the tennis star, although that does not seem to be the case right now. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see whether or not Osaka decides to avoid the media again, especially after this latest incident.

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During the Tokyo Olympics, Evan Fournier was a true breakout star as he showed the world what he can do on the international stage. Fournier was particularly impressive against the United States in the Olympic opener which saw a pretty spectacular upset from the French side. Later in the tournament, the United States and France linked up again for a rematch in the Finals, although the second time around, it was Team USA that came away with the win. 

Since the Olympics, Fournier has signed with the New York Knicks where he will now get to engage in a rivalry with the Brooklyn Nets who boast the talents of Team USA star Kevin Durant. Knicks fans are expecting these two to feud, and as a way to give in to the fun, Fournier made a joke at KD’s expense today.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

As you can see down below, Fournier asked his followers if they had any recommendations for barbers in the New York area. This led to a snarky reply from one fan who said “Fella named Kevin. He’s in Brooklyn. He cut ya up in Tokyo. Maybe he can do it again?”

Fournier was quick with a comeback as he hit Durant with a lighthearted jab, saying “He needs a barber too.”

Fans were quick to notice the joke as many praised Fournier for the comeback. Of course, Durant is a controversial figure in New York, especially after choosing the Nets over the Knicks. Having said that, Fournier is already becoming a popular figure in the Big Apple.

The Weeknd broke the record for having the longest-charting song ever on the Billboard Hot 100 with his hit, “Blinding Lights,” from his 2020 album, After Hours. “Blinding Lights first appeared on the charts 88 weeks ago on Dec. 14, 2019.

The previous record for the longest-charting song was Imagine Dragon’s “Radioactive,” which spent 87 weeks on the list from 2012-14.

“Blinding Lights” also became the only song to ever stay within the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 for an entire year.

Jason Merritt/TERM / Getty Images

“After Hours was always meant to be a very personal project. It’s a story I had to tell,” The Weeknd told Billboard regarding the hit single. “The fact I’ve been able to tell it with the world listening is incredible.”

The Weeknd rode the success of his last album into a Super Bowl performance, earlier this year.

While the popularity of “Blinding Lights” continues, The Weeknd is already moving onto a new project. Earlier this month, the singer debuted a new visual for his track “Take My Breath.” 

“My fans don’t call me The Weeknd. They just call me Abel,” he recently said in an interview with GQ. “It’s a tricky thing, but I think the name The Weeknd holds such a legacy right now. The story of that name isn’t done yet.”

[Via]