Hip Hop News

Conway The Machine Announces New Tape, But With A Twist

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Conway The Machine’s God Don’t Make Mistakes is on the way, as the rapper recently unveiled the tracklist to his long-awaited Shady Records debut. But that’s not all that the Griselda lyricist has in the pipeline.

With his Love Will Get You Killed tour on the horizon, Conway took to Instagram to confirm that not only is he excited to hit the road, but he’s whipped up an exclusive project for the occasion.

Conway The Machine

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Machine revealed as much in a recent Instagram post, teasing that he “whipped up a brand new tape with all new songs, that’s only available on tour!!!” It’s unclear as to how he intends on releasing it, though there are certainly a few potential directions he might take. Perhaps a physical copy sold at merch booths, or maybe a code made available with ticket purchases. Either way, Conway promises that it’s going to be worth checking out. “Don’t miss this shit,” he teases. “I promise this gon be the illest shit you seen in years!!”

While the news of an exclusive tape might disappoint his fans unable to attend one of the upcoming tour dates, the Griselda movement has always embraced the concept of rare and exclusive art.

It’s also possible that Machine might release the new music once the tour wraps up, as hoarding material has never been his modus operandi. But damned if it’s not an effective strategy. The Love Will Get You Killed tour is looking to be a must-see experience, so be sure to check out the full list of dates right here. 

Isaiah Thomas Gets Emotional After Putting Up 81-Point Performance Pro-Am League

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Free agent point guard Isaiah Thomas has had a rough journey attempting to re-establish himself in the NBA after multiple injuries have derailed his promising career as a spark plug scorer, a role that he received the most recognition for as a member of the Boston Celtics. The days in which the two-time all-star was going toe-to-toe with Eastern Conference teams in the playoffs weren’t actually that long ago, but it feels like ages in NBA years. After being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for star guard Kyrie Irving in 2017, Thomas struggled to regain control of the athleticism that propelled his mid-career rise and bounced around teams before completely falling out of the league.

But, in a strong show of his resilience and dedication to the game, Thomas showed out during a game under former NBA player Jamal Crawford’s Pro-Am League, putting up a staggering 81 points against a mix of lower-tier professionals and amateurs. In a coincidental tribute to late Lakers great Kobe Bryant, who famously scored the same amount in a regular season game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, Thomas showed flashes of his previous scoring prowess that had the league on notice during his Boston Celtics run.

Donning a pair of retro Nike Kobe signature shoes, Thomas put on a show that recalled his 2016-17 MVP-caliber season, proving that he still has potential to provide a scoring spark to an NBA team today. His most recent stint in the league came in the form of a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans this past season, in which he played three games before the contract expired.

The mix of injury troubles that plagued his lucrative NBA hopes definitely came at the cost of emotional and mental well-being, and Thomas showed that transparently in an emotional video following the performance. Crying into a towel, he talks about how people gave up on him as a player, but his performance in the Pro-Am game showed he potentially still has a lot to offer to the league. Check out that video below.

What do you think of Isaiah Thomas’ performance? Do you think he still has enough juice to play in the NBA? Let us know in the comments.

Former 6ix9ine Affiliate Billy Ado Bans Wack 100 From Brooklyn

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Tr3yway co-founder and Nine Trey Bloods affiliate Billy Ado is claiming that after his interview with Tekashi 6ix9ine, Wack 100 is no longer allowed to travel to Brooklyn. The former 6ix9ine associate made the claims in a new video posted to social media.

“I’m back out here in Brooklyn, New York, where Wack 100 cannot come,” said Billy Ado. “Wack 100, you cannot come to Brooklyn, New York. I called you out already, I disrespected you, I violated you with all of that shit, I made the post, you hit somebody up — I’m not gon’ say the person you hit up — and you said you wanted to fight me. Now you sayin’ you don’t wanna fight me. I got all the screenshots and all the DMs, Wack 100. I’ma give you one more opportunity to straighten your face like a man ’cause I’m gonna beat your ass.”

This comes following Wack 100’s interview with Tekashi 6ix9ine, who Billy Ado used to work with as part of Tr3yway. 

“You a pussy, you a bitch, you a rat and a rat lover, and n***as got no respect for you,” continued Ado. “You can’t come nowhere.”

Billy Ado proceeded to claim that there is a green-light order on Wack 100 if he travels to Brooklyn, meaning that it’s on sight if he pulls up. 

Wack’s move to interview 6ix9ine has been very controversial. Jim Jones recently spoke on it, saying, “I stand tall for everything I believe in. I always have. No matter what. I’ve been around this whole world. Fuck the country, n***a. Rockin’ my same colors. Can’t nobody tell me anything, n***a. You know how we move in New York City, n***a. I put a whole coast on. I let a whole coast eat. I put this shit in the sky, n***a. The same way Snoop [Dogg] put the shit in the sky, I put the shit in the sky, n***a.”

Check out Billy Ado’s threats below.

Machine Gun Kelly Shaves Head For New Single, Reveals Another Tattoo

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Making headlines for fashion and appearance choices is nothing new for Machine Gun Kelly. In fact, it’s only been a few months since he garnered mixed reviews for his sharp nail extensions to the iHeart Radio Awards, though nobody denied he and girlfriend Megan Fox were best dressed at this year’s BBMA’s.

This week, Machine Gun Kelly is turning heads after he took a pair of clippers and shaved his long, bleached hair completely off. He described the move on Twitter as being for his new single “Paper Cuts,” which is set to release Wednesday night with a Cole Bennett video. 

MGK first teased a new project last week, announcing that he was re-partnering with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker for the new album. The duo got matching “Born With Horns” tattoos to commemorate the new album of the same name. Barker also produced/peformed on MGK’s last record, Tickets to my Downfall, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and was a massive success.

“I shaved my head for this @_ColeBennett_ “papercuts” tomorrow 9pm,” MGK tweeted alongside a screenshot of his FaceTime call with Bennett. In the picture, you can see the singer left no hair untouched– MGK is completely bald. However, interestingly enough, his bare scalp features a massive Avatar the Last Airbender-esque arrow tattoo, though it’s unclear if this is a new or old addition to his tattoo collection. Perhaps MGK shaves his own head in the actual music video? It seems we’ll know by tonight. 

Do you think this is a good look? Check it out below as well as some fan reactions.

midwxst Reveals He Got Into Music From “Roblox” On “Top 5s”

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Indiana-based artist midwxst has been going viral on TikTok all year with his hyperpop-rap blend, creating a whole new lane for himself. As the next generation gravitates toward a more electronic style of production, especially in pop and hip-hop, midwxst caters to them with his playful energy and vibe. As he continues to gain recognition ahead of the release of his new EP BACK IN ACTION, the “Tic Tac Toe” artist stopped by to tell us a little more about himself and where he’s from, starring in the latest episode of Top 5s.

The rising star started off by naming his favorite things to do in the oft-overlooked state of Indiana, placing a particular focus on his city, Carmel. Describing himself as a “happy nerd” who grew up in a military family and had aspirations to join the army himself, midwxst reveals that his main hobby in Indiana is to go paintballing with his friends.

Much like YBN Nahmir, Almighty Jay, and Cordae began rapping after meeting each other playing Xbox, midwxst also transitioned to a career in music from video gaming. His favorite franchise, perhaps unsurprisingly, is Call Of Duty, but it was another game that got him started in music.

“I literally got into music from Roblox,” admitted the artist. “It’s a crazy coincidence. I was in the car community in Roblox for the longest and a bunch of people would build 3D models of cars in Blender, which is a 3D software. From that, I got into the car community but the car community opened the door to the music community for me ’cause there were some producers in the little Discord community I was in. They sent me beats, I started recording over those beats and I created a really good friendship with them.”

Check out the new episode of Top 5s with midwxst above and be sure to listen to his new single here.

Lil Nas X Discusses The Stigmas Bottoms Face After Coming Out As One On ‘Holiday’

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Lil Nas X got real about a sexual preference of his on “Holiday” when he rapped, “Ayy, can I pop sh*t? / I might bottom on the low, but I top sh*t.” Now, the rapper, one of music’s most visible members of the LGBTQ community, has spoken out about being a bottom in a new Variety interview, in which he discusses some stigmas bottoms face.

He said, “I feel like even within the gay community, people see bottoming as a joke or something, and somebody who bottoms is beneath a top or something. The idea of that, I feel like, is a form of misogyny between men, you know? It doesn’t make any sense, and people attribute certain traits to whichever sexual position you decide to take. A lot of people say, ‘It’s just a joke.’ But all jokes have truths to them.”

Elsewhere, he speaks about how fame has impacted his love life, saying, “Before fame, I didn’t really have a sexual life besides one person or two. It’s definitely made things a lot more interesting, to say the least. I’ve had some good boyfriends, some bad ones. A lot of them emotionally unavailable and whatnot. A lot of insecurity between them. But yeah, I found somebody special now.”

Check out the full feature here.

Est Gee’s ‘5500 Degree’ Video Is A Massive Flex Featuring Lil Baby, 42 Dugg And Rylo

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Steadily dropping new singles all summer, rising Louisville rapper Est Gee has been on a run lately with track like “Riata Dada,” “Price Tag,” and “Capitol 1,” all of which appeared on his Bigger Than Life Or Death project from last month. That album also cracked the Billboard 200 chart, hitting No. 7, and dith momentum like that, all anyone would expect Est Gee to do is keep dropping new music. Today, that’s exactly what he’s done — although, if he’s going to be meeting up with Jay Z to put in work at the studio, he better come alone.

His latest single “5500 Degrees” is a study in the art of the posse cut, with Lil Baby, 42 Dugg, and Rylo all joining in. The video is a massive flex with stacks of cash everywhere, lots of fancy cars, diamond encrusted chains, and all the rappers partying together, celebrating their abundance. The track is a clever update of Juvenile’s 1998 classic “400 Degreez,” and is just another example of how ’90s nostalgia is finding its way into hip-hop and the pop mainstream of late. All the rappers deliver on their verses, but Lil Baby’s final, rapid-fire effort is definitely worth sticking around for. Watch the video above and look out for more new music from Est Gee coming soon.

Isaiah Rashad And Lil Uzi Vert’s ‘From The Garden’ Video Is Trippy and Twerking-Fueled

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Last week Isaiah Rashad dropped his excellent new album, The House Is Burning, which our hip-hop editor Aaron Williams described as depicting ” the tension between that sense of helplessness in the face of certain doom and our own… need to press forward as though this is all normal, even though we know it’s not.” This week, Rashad is keeping up the stream of new material by dropping a video for the Lil Uzi Vert-featuring “From The Garden.” The visuals start off in black and white, with Rashad rapping and walking through the neighborhood, lingering outside a line to get into a club, where 4-wheelers and expensive cars line the street.

Lil Uzi Vert does show up in the clip to rap alongside Rashad, wielding a 4-wheeler of his own in a return to black and white visuals that multiply and divide like a trippy ’70s video where twerking abounds. Cutting back to the club from earlier, more hijinks abound as someone drops a pizza, and Rashad makes it rain with fistfuls of money outside the club, as patrons eagerly run over to grab the cash. Check out the Omar Jones-directed visuals above and read our full review of The House Is Burning here.

Hyperpop Rapper Midwxst Releases New Single “Tic Tac Toe”

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Hyper-pop has been dominating all year with artists including 100 gecs, glaive, and many others making noise on the internet. With an amplified focus on catchy melodies and electronic-based nostalgic production, a lane has been forming for hip-hop to create yet another subgenre, slightly differing from the rage sound being popularized by artists like Trippie Redd, Playboi Carti, and Lil Uzi Vert.

Over the last few months, Indiana artist midwxst has been blowing up on TikTok, creating unmissable rhymes over blaring synths and production that feels like it was made specifically for 16-bit video games. Today, the rising rapper released his new video for “Tic Tac Toe,” making his official HNHH introduction with the Nirvan-directed video.

midwxst is truly like nothing that you’ve heard before in hip-hop. Check out his new song below.

Quotable Lyrics:

Playin’ my opps like tic tac toe
If I really wanted to, I could steal your hoe
My head on a swivel, I stay on my toes
Don’t wanna text you, I’m finna go ghost
Doin’ too much, bitch you doin’ the most
When I get me a deal, I’m finna have a toast
Go to Chicago, I feel like D Rose
You know that I’m speeding when I hit the road