Hip Hop News

It’s been another week filled with extreme excitement about DONDA, the 10th studio album from Kanye West. Fans have eagerly awaited the album’s release but it seems that ‘Ye is still working on it. However, there’s still a ton of dope music that arrived this week and we’ve highlighted a few tracks that you should have on rotation for this week’s “Fire Emoji” playlist. Here’s your breakdown:

Nas emerged with the sequel to his Grammy-award winning album King’s Disease. Entirely produced by Hit-Boy, Nas’ latest body of work is proof that he’s only gotten better with time. This week’s Fire Emoji updates include “Death Row East” and “Nobody” ft. Ms. Lauryn Hill.

Young Nudy has been making some serious plays this year and in the middle of the week, he popped out with his latest project, Rich Shooter. It’s another excellent display of Nudy’s ability to bring the outside world into his often grim, nihilistic universe. It was only right that we included “Keep It In The Street” on the playlist this week.

Along new music from both Nas and Young Nudy, this week’s Fire Emoji playlist includes recent releases from YNW Melly, Fredo Bang, and Lil Tecca.

Check out this week’s Fire Emoji playlist below and subscribe to HNHH on Spotify.

Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Ronald Haley Jr. have joined forces to represent Corey “C-Murder” Miller, who is currently serving a life sentence at the Elayn Hust Correctional Center in Louisiana for a murder conviction in which he continues to maintain his innocence.

Recently, Miller publicly spoke out against the living a safety conditions of the facility, going as far as taking on a hunger strike in order to bring light to the situation.

“No one in the State of Louisiana is sentenced to contract COVID-19 nor die from it,” reads a statement from Crump and Haley. “There are far too many people who are unreasonably compromised due to existing medical conditions and older age who will suffer or die due to the spread of COVID-19 and the Delta variant. There is no form of justice that should allow this level of neglect for the health and safety of those who are incarcerated.”

In 2002, C-Murder was arrested in connection to the murder of a 16-year-old. Two of the witnesses who testified against him during the trial recanted their statements in 2018, however a judge decided against having the conviction thrown out.

“Mr. Miller maintains his innocence and we are diligently working with his legal defense team to free him, but in the meantime, we are monitoring the conditions at Elayn Hunt and are considering taking legal action,” added his legal team. “We stand with Mr. Miller and everyone who is incarcerated who are in fear of losing their lives due to the pandemic and inhumanity of the correctional system. We demand that the Department of Corrections act immediately.”

It is with heavy hearts that we relay the announcement from the Kool & The Gang team that saxophone player and founding member Dennis Thomas passed away this week at the age of 70. No cause of death has been revealed, though it is noted that he died peacefully at his New Jersey home. Members of the band released statements honoring their beloved friend and bandmate.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation For Cancer Research

“An original member of Kool & The Gang, Dennis was known as the quintessential cool cat in the group, loved for his hip clothes and hats, and his laid-back demeanor,” wrote the band. They said Dennis was somewhat of a jack of all trades in the group, playing saxophone, assembling outfits, and even acting as a budget manager in the band’s early day. 

“A huge personality while also an extremely private person, Dennis was the alto saxophone player, flutist, percussionist as well as master of ceremonies at the band’s shows,” the statement continued. 

As an alto sax player, Dennis had a few shining moments in Kool & The Gang’s discography, including his solo in their 1971 hit “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight.” The late member was featured on every Kool & The Gang album from their 1969 debut to their upcoming album, Perfect Union. 

Following Dennis Thompson’s passing, only two founding members of the legendary band are still alive.

RIP Dennis Thomas.

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Kanye West’s second Donda event was full of eccentric and unorthodox moments, from Kanye taking his phone out to answer a phone call to the dramatic levitating act that closed out the performance. However, one fan appeared to take Kanye’s call for fan involvement during the second listening party as an invitation to rush the stage during the performance. Thankfully, Ye’s creative process was hardly disturbed as footage shows security effectively taking down the orange-wearing fan. 

Though he was eventually apprehended, the fan made impressive strides towards ‘Ye. The incident happened about halfway through the listening event, and cell phone footage shows the man making it past the initial wall of security and through a wave of background dancers before eventually being tackled. 

It does look like the man was injured after being forced down by guards, though fortunately, no legal action was taken. Police have no record of the incident on file. Perhaps a bruise or two is a price worth paying to get that close to Yeezus.

Despite the success of the second listening event and the continued pleas of fans, Donda still hasn’t been released as some sources were suggesting. The second listening event came after Kanye and his team, including producer Mike Dean, spent a week holed up in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium working on the project. Big-name talent who have been working on it includes Lil Yachty, Playboi Carti, and Five Foreign. 

Check out the video below:

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Tekashi 6ix9ine has, unfortunately, been back in the fold, thanks to his three-hour-long conversation with Akademiks and Wack 100. He and Wack hashed out their differences (kinda) as they discussed everything from 6ix9ine’s decision to testify, his dealings with the gang life, Sara Molina, and his issues with practically every other rapper in the industry. In fact, 6ix9ine used the opportunity to try and finalize a boxing match against Durk who doesn’t seem entirely interested in the idea.

Bob Levey/Getty Images

The conversation continued on Clubhouse days later when Wack 100 confronted 21 Savage for calling the conversation “lame” while 6ix9ine hyped up the West Coast exec. However, the conversation somehow led to 6ix9ine’s issues with Jim Jones. ” “Jim Jones wasn’t taking care of them n***as, I took care of them n***as,” 6ix9ine yelled. “On top of that, Jim Jones was caught on wiretap on my case telling the big homie Mel Matrix to go and get rid of my security. How you do it, how you shoot at ’em, they don’t got no license to carry weapons… How is that n*gga free right now?” Of course, 6ix9ine previously testified that Jim Jones is a member of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods during his trial. 

It seems that the recent claims made by the Brooklyn rapper finally got under the Dipset rapper’s skin. Jones has been relatively mum on the topic of Tekashi since the trial but apparently, the Clubhouse comments is what got him to open up. A conversation with Mel Matrix, who’s locked up as part of the Nine Trey takedown, and Jones surfaced online today where both parties denounced Wack 100 and 6ix9ine.

“Everybody knows he’s a bitch,” Matrix is allegedly heard saying on the call. “Fuck Wack 100, you know what I’m saying? Fuck him and anybody that’s working with him, you heard me?… That n***a a hoe. Him and the n***a he talkin’ to.”

Matrix then goes on to discuss how he remained solid throughout his stint and is looking forward to returning home. Check out the conversation below. 

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The TV adaptation of fan-favorite DC comic, Y: The Last Man, is finally on its way with a release date set for September 13th. FX on Hulu treated fans with the first official trailer for the upcoming series. The teaser follows Y, the last man on earth, as he navigates a world completely ran by women in search of the origin of the event that wiped out every male. 

Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Y: The Last Man is based on a DC comic written by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra that ran from 2002-2008. The comic explores the story of an international event that wipes out every male mammal on Earth, sparing only one man, Yorick Brown, and his pet monkey. The new TV series, produced by FX on Hulu and directed by a set of female directors, stars Ben Schnetzer as Yorick Brown and Diane Lane as Congresswoman Jennifer Brown. 

The show has been in production since 2015, but has been met with a number of obstacles, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The original pilot was completed in 2018 with a slightly different cast and script, though this was eventually scrapped. However, with the increasing popularity of television adaptations of legendary comic books, this may be the perfect moment for Y to enter the playing field. 

Check out the trailer for the show below:

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We’re once again stuck waiting on Kanye West to drop an album that may or may not ever see the light of day. Most Kanye fans are used to him pre-maturely announcing albums (i.e. Turbo Grafx 16) but with DONDA, it’s been an unusual process, even for him. Two weeks ago, the rapper announced that he’d be holding a release party at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. And while Def Jam confirmed this to be true, we ultimately found out that ‘Ye needed another few weeks to work on it.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

A second listening party was hosted on Thursday with promises that DONDA would be on streaming services on Friday at midnight. Of course, that didn’t happen but fans did enjoy the revamped version of the album which included several new songs. ‘Ye was center stage with mosh pits surrounding him but there were several moments during the listening party where Kanye hopped on the phone. In fact, it looked like he was screaming into the phone. It seemed like it could’ve very well been a part of the show but turns out, he was really on the phone.

Mike Dean took to Twitter this morning where he revealed that he was the one who was on the phone with Kanye West who apparently was giving him an earful about the mix. A fan tweeted photo of Kanye yelling into the phone with the caption reading, “Make sure Mike Dean locked up in that room. We not finished yet!” Dean replied, “He was actually calling me from a mix mistake!! Lol.”

Apparently, there was still more work that needs to be done on the album. The unfortunate part is that we still haven’t received an update on when the album will actually drop. 

Peep our June interview with Mike Dean here. 

Twenty-three-year-old Jack Harlow is quickly finding his way in the game after a year of back-to-back hit singles. The rising rap star is now often seen with some of the biggest names in hip hop, whether it be at the studio or on the court. His networking skills have also proven to translate to his songs, most notably the “What’s Poppin” remix, with features from DaBaby, Tory Lanez, and Lil Wayne. Another high-profile collaboration from his debut album “Best Friends,” featuring Chris Brown, topped the charts for months.

Last month, Jack humbly stated he feels “blessed to have a voice“ as a white man “who is not a street artist.” This attitude has earned him praise from one of the game’s long-respected OGs, in Snoop Dogg. Jack dubbed the compliment as one of the greatest moments of his career— rightfully so.

With a tour coming up in the fall, and a new banger he just dropped with Pooh Shiesty, Jack Harlow seems to be securing his stardom for the long haul.

This proud Kentuckian has definitely been adopted by the game, as evidence below.

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Big Moves

Jack secured his dream collab when he headed to the studio with Pharrell.

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Wait, where’s this track?

Logic and Jack hit the booth at Logic’s Cali home.

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Kentucky Boys

Jack and fellow Louisville native Bryson Tiller link up in Miami.

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Me and bro

A throwback pic with Lil Baby.

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On the Road

Jack and Wiz snap a photo after a show.

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Mexico Moment

Chris Brown and Jack on the tropical set for “Best Friends.”

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Dreams Do Come True

Jack and Lil Wayne on the set of the “What’s Poppin’ Remix.”

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Need to Collab ASAP

The two posed for the camera post set.

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New Kids On the Block

Pooh Shiesty and Jack pose to announce their song release.

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Industry Babies

Jack poses with Lil Nas X on the set of their latest music video.

Among the catalog of OG emcees in the history of West Coast rap, Kurupt finds his place with good reason among the more obvious contemporaries like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Tupac among others. 

The Death Row Records mainstay rose to prominence via Tha Dogg Pound, contributing to cuts like “What Would You Do?” and albums like Dogg Food.

This weekend, however, Kurupt’s legacy is honored across the country on the East Coast as the rapper, born Ricardo Brown Jr., will have a street bearing his name at the intersection of Clifton Avenue and Roosevelt in Philadelphia where he was born in 1972. 

“It’s not often something like this happens,” Kurupt told HipHopDX. “We’re from a small part of this Philadelphia situation. We’re on the outskirts of Philly in Darby Township. All my family’s in Philly. I was bouncing back and forth between Philly and here in Darby Township, Sharon Hill. So I was bouncing back and forth, and these are just my stomping grounds. This is what made the MC. California made me the man.”

Kurupt now finds himself among Hip-Hop legends who lived long enough to see their name bear such an honor. We’re family with the string if deceased rappers who were honored in similar ways, but to be in attendance is a rarity.

“It means the world,” he added. “I’m totally shocked. God blessed me with the talent. God gave me the opportunities. God is good.”