Hip Hop News

Bia couldn’t believe that Nicki Minaj wanted to hop on the remix to her “Whole Lotta Money” hit, especially considering the acclaimed New York rapper doesn’t just collaborate with anyone. Lil Nas x has been trying to snag himself a Nicki verse since he officially revealed that he was a Barb, just like several others in the industry who are hoping to one day lay a track with the Queen artist.

Yet, there are those who often find themselves ensnared in drama for their less than favorable comments about Minaj, including the City Girls who were faced with a scandal after there was reportedly leaked audio that surfaced in 2019 of JT going off about women in Rap while undermining Nicki’s success.

The City Girls’ friendship and collaboration with Cardi B didn’t help any at the time, but now that all of the women have put the pettiness behind them, the Florida Rap duo are looking forward to one day working with Minaj. While sitting down with GQ‘s Me Actually series, JT and Yung Miami went “undercover” online and answered questions from fans.

“Where is the Nicki collab?” JT read before answering, “We’re hoping for in the future, seriously.” She also addressed naysayers by adding, “A lot of people try to make fun of it like ‘Ah, you’re never gonna get your feature,’ but you never know what can happen.” Some fans took that as a hint of what’s to come while others still don’t believe it will come together.

Check out the clip below.

The Hip Hop community is grieving the loss of another up-and-coming rapper who was gunned down over the weekend. Juan Bautista Garcia, 17, was creating a buzz for himself but his Rap dreams were cut short after police claim he was fatally shot while sitting in a parked car. Few details have been shared about the Hartford, Connecticut rapper’s murder, but the Hartford Courant reported on the details police have given thus far.

It was on Sunday (August 8) evening when the ShotSpotter was activated and officers were reportedly dispatched to a specific location on Martin St. It was there that they found the teen’s body.

While it is still unclear whose car he was located in or if it YNT Juan was shot while someone was inside or outside of the vehicle, the Hartford Police Major Crime and Crime Scene divisions are asking for the public’s help in bringing resolution to this case. The rapper’s friends have taken to social media to share in their grief, with some stating that he was next in line to have his big break.

“I actually believed in you from the moment we first met & made a video & I’m grateful we did, sleep easy legend,” one person reportedly wrote. Another added,  “R.I.P Juan, almost had this … in the bag, I felt it.”

Hartford police are concerned with the rise in homicides as YNT Juan’s death is the 25th of its kind this year. There were reportedly that many homicides in the city in all of 2020 and “two more than the total number recorded in 2019.” Authorities fear that 2021 will be the deadliest the city has seen since the early 2000s.

We send our sincerest condolences to YNT Juan’s loved ones. Check out a few posts about the late rapper below.

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Within the last four years, there have been several racial discrimination lawsuits reportedly filed against Tesla. Elon Musk serves as CEO of the electric vehicle company that he co-founded, and while the brand has become one of the most popular among the masses, especially within Hip Hop, it has been reported that their employees have endured harassment. 

Melvin Berry began working at a Tesla factory as a materials handler in California back in 2015, but he was only employed for approximately 17 months before deciding to quit. CBS News reports that Berry complained of being “harassed on the job,” only to be ignored by his supervisors when he alerted them that his co-workers were calling him the n-word.

Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty Images

Berry filed official complaints within the company but it reportedly didn’t help his situation. “No other word in the English language so powerfully or instantly calls to mind our country’s long and brutal struggle to overcome racism and discrimination against African Americans,” arbitrator Elaine Rushing wrote in court documents. There was reportedly evidence to support that at least two supervisors also “used racial slurs against Berry.”

Additionally, when he confronted his supervisors regarding their racist language, he was reportedly given more physically strenuous jobs and “forced to work longer hours.” Courts awarded Berry $1 million in arbitration. In other recent lawsuits against the company, 100 employees reportedly came together for a class action suit where several Black employees complained about being called the n-word and other racial slurs by supervisors—one person saying it happened to them upwards of 100 times. Employees also stated that “KKK signs and swastikas” were “spray-painted on bathroom stalls.”

“Everyone at Tesla, without exception, is required to go through an anti-discrimination course,” Tesla wrote in a 2017 blog post. “Our company has more than 33,000 employees, with over 10,000 in the Fremont factory alone, so it is not humanly possible to stop all bad conduct, but we will do our best to make it as close to zero as possible.”

Elon Musk has not commented on this latest development with Melvin Berry. It is unclear if the supervisors and employees accused of racism were allowed to retain their positions within the company or if they were let go.

Jason Merritt/TERM / Staff / Getty Images

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Tunji Balogun, formerly executive vice president of A&R for RCA, is on his way to Def Jam Records to run the show as its new CEO. In his previous role at RCA, he was heavily involved in the signing of superstar acts like Normani, Khalid and Bryson Tiller. He joined RCA in 2015 after spending more than seven years at Interscope Records.

Balogun also co-founded the Keep Cool record label as a joint venture with RCA. Beginning as a marketing intern at Warner Brothers Records, the Nigerian American label executive clearly has walked a storied path in the music business, and is taking the next step in assuming control of Def Jam as CEO.

David Livingston/Getty Images

Following the departure of former Def Jam CEO Paul Rosenberg – who is best known for managing artists like Eminem and associating with acts like Blink-182 and Action Bronson – in 2020, the label had been run in the interim by Jeffrey Harleston, who also serves an additional role as general counsel and executive Vice President of business and legal affairs at Universal Music Group.

Def Jam currently boasts a star-studded roster of artists, which includes the likes of Justin Bieber, Kanye West,  Jay-Z, Rihanna, Big Sean, YG and Logic, among many more. The roster has been built drastically over time since the label’s establishment 35 years ago in 1984. Along with Balogun’s appointment as CEO, the label has also appointed veteran Nicki Farag as its executive vice president and general manager. This announcement follows the June appointment of rap legend Snoop Dogg joining the label as executive creative and strategic consultant.

A formal announcement of Balogun’s hiring is said to be coming shortly.

Def Jam Records, along with the rest of the hip-hop community, is anxiously awaiting the release of DONDA, Kanye’s tenth studio album. Check out an image from last week’s Atlanta listening party below.

What do you think of Def Jam’s new CEO? Does his roster of signees in the past inspire confidence about his upcoming work as the label’s President? Let us know in the comments below.

Who knows when Donda will be released, but Kanye West’s phantom album isn’t at the forefront of his latest controversy. Hip Hop has been awaiting the arrival of West’s anticipated album, and while the Rap mogul works diligently to place the final touches on the record, he has reportedly racked up millions from his live events, merch, and Gap sales. However, an up-and-coming designer has publicly accused Kanye of stealing his work and using it for his Donda apparel.

Infinity G8ds reportedly spoke and met with Kanye West prior to the Donda listening events at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, even having the opportunity to send the rapper several pieces.

In a TikTok, Infinity G8ds shared their side of the story as they added video clips of their experience. “Randy was invited to send Kanye West a gift of his upcoming line @infinityg8ds,” they wrote. “Sound on!!!!!! I recorded this video of Randy on a FT call with Kanye West inviting him to Atlanta to meet with him. He loved the items, the materials, and the design!” The call was labeled with the date “July 24, 2021.”

The team reportedly drove nine hours to Atlanta, signed NDAs, and showed videos of themselves inside of the stadium waiting to sit down with Kanye for a meeting. They showed that the Infinity G8ds design is a six-pointed star, resembling the Star of David, with an infinity symbol wrapped around a cross in the middle. West would also use that exact design, except in the center, the rapper took out the infinity symbol and left the cross.

“Yesterday, this was released as the official merch for Kanye’s new album!!!!” the TikTok added. “He invited him to meet with him and then stole his freakin design minus one element.” West’s team hasn’t responded to the accusations, but people have rallied around the brand in support. Watch the story below.

As she continues to defend her right to breastfeed her five-year-old daughter, Coco Austin has made another revelation that captured attenion. There has been a strange influx of celebrities lately sharing their bathing habits—or lack thereof—and Austin adds her name to the list of famous figures who have decided to tell the world that they don’t shower daily if it isn’t necessary.

Coco and her husband Ice-T have repeatedly defended their parenting choices when it comes to their adorable little girl Chanel, and during a chat with E! News’ Daily Pop, the model-mom also revealed her bathing routine.

Monica Schipper / Stringer / Getty Images

Recently, entertainers like Ashton Kutcher and wife Mila Kunis, Dax Shephard and wife Kristen Bell, and Jake Gyllenhall all revealed that they don’t find it necessary to bathe daily and several of them said they only wash when they feel dirty or smell bad. Coco seemingly agreed.

“Well, I don’t shower every day,” Coco said matter-of-factly. “I do what’s needed. My hair—I wash my hair every four days. Yeah, but when I’m feeling icky, I’ll get in the shower. Whether that’s every day, that may be, but that could be every three days. I kinda keep myself clean, though. Like, if I feel like my pits smell or something, I just take some washcloths and some soap to it. I might not have to clean my whole body.”

This debate continues to divide, so watch Coco Austin’s clip below and let us know if you agree or disagree with bathing daily.

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Kobe Bryant’s death early last year continues to ripple across the NBA as the player’s legacy materializes, and is carried on by surviving teammates. While the late player’s wife remains in battle against those profiting off of her husband’s death, one diehard fan brought the holy grail of Kobe collectibles to auction this week with a whopping price tag. The item in question, with a minimum bid of $100,000, is a pair of Adidas basketball shoes worn by Kobe during his first NBA game ever, in 1996. 

The shoes were apparently given to the fan by Kobe after his debut 1996 game, of which is performance fell short of his career standards. The late Lakers veteran scored no points during his only six minutes off the bench, though it seems this fan still saw the potential in the player. Interestingly enough, the fan secured a second encounter with Kobe just years later where he got him to autograph the sneakers, boosting the value even more. The late NBA legend had a sneaker deal with Adidas until 2002. 

Bidding on the shoes started at $100,000, though it’s believed that the price could easily settle in the $500,000 range. This seems a fitting price for the coveted pair of shoes as they marked the beginning of Kobe’s record-breaking career. Though Kobe retired in 2015 after 19 years in the game, he remains at #4 for all time points scored with 33,643 career points. Kobe also won 5 championships during his 19 year stint with the Lakers.

RIP Kobe.

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