Hip Hop News

Yesterday was massive for the baseball world as it was announced that the Cleveland Indians would officially be changing their name to the Guardians. For years, the team’s nickname had been criticized by activists, and just last year, they announced that they would look for a new name that would better suit the community. After a long wait, the name was finally unveiled and we even have some new logos to feast our eyes on.

For the most part, fans are happy with the new name although they do feel as though the logo could have been slightly better. One of those people is none other than Hollywood director James Gunn who is the man behind Guardians of the Galaxy. The Guardians name is one that is near and dear to Gunn’s heart, and he was hoping the MLB team would pay homage to the movie with their logo.

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

In the tweet below, Gunn explains how the team should have made Rocket Racoon their logo, and that he could have even been holding a machine gun. A fan even made a nice rendering for Gunn, which definitely looks pretty badass. Of course, the Guardians would have to get the license from Marvel, which probably isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

Regardless, Marvel fans can only fantasize about what could have been. With that said, let us know what you think of the actual logo, in the comments below.

Travis Scott is one of the biggest artists in the world right now and when it comes to his standing in the music industry, there is no doubt he has big things on the horizon. If you were listening to Kanye West’s DONDA live stream on Thursday night, then you heard Travis on a song with Baby Keem. This track was easily the most complete song on the album, and fans are excited to get a proper version on streaming services.

In the meantime, Scott is working on his brand new album UTOPIA which could very well drop sometime this year. At this point, Travis fans have a lot to look forward to and it’s expected that La Flame will deliver in a big way.

Craig Barritt/Getty Images for The New School

Scott’s young fanbase is one of the more energetic ones in all of hip-hop and whenever he goes somewhere, you can be sure the supporters will follow suit. This is exactly what happened recently as Travis made his way to a local 7/11. In the video clip below, you can see that fans had the 7/11 packed and they were even crowded around outside just to get a glimpse of the artist, whose body was hanging out of the front door.

It was a pretty wild scene and it only speaks to Scott’s stardom these days. Following the release of Astroworld, Scott became a global megastar and with another album coming down the pipeline, there is no doubt his profile will only continue to grow from here.

Draymond Green is gearing up to play some summer basketball with Team USA as part of the Olympic roster. The United States is favored to win the gold medal and if they want to do it, Green will have to be a large part of that effort. Over the last couple of weeks, fans have been underwhelmed by Team USA’s roster as they feel like it simply isn’t good enough to win the tournament. 

Fortunately, the team has been given a huge upgrade as players like Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton have all flown in last minute after competing in the NBA Finals. In a report by Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Green expressed jubilation when it comes to having these players on the roster, and he had quite a bit of praise for their determination.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

“I have a lot of respect for those guys for not only committing to do this but actually keeping their word,” Green said. “You’re talking about three true professionals, three extremely competitive guys that wouldn’t be on their way here if this didn’t mean something.”

Green knows they didn’t have to make the sacrifice, especially when you consider everything they have been through in the postseason.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

“We could’ve very easily got to the last game … and Devin Booker saying, ‘Man, we lost, I’m pissed off, I’m out,’ or Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday saying, ‘We just won a championship, I want to celebrate and stay home with my family, I’m out,'” Green said. “It’s on us to make sure that we do our parts to make sure they’re rewarded with what they ultimately came here for, which is to help us to compete and win a gold medal.”

With Booker, Holiday, and Middleton on the roster, Team USA has a much better shot at glory, and it will be interesting to see how they all come together.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

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Drake’s OVO label has maintained a small but successful team of game-shifting artists. Popcaan, PartyNextDoor, and dvsn are among those currently part of the OVO roster but it’s been a while since they’ve brought any new artists on board. This week, that changed as they formally announced the latest artist to join the label. 

Ethan Miller/Getty Images 

On Friday, Smiley shared his new single, “Over The Top” featuring The Boy. Though Smiley and Drake have been close for some time, this collaboration symbolized the official announcement of Smiley’s debut on the OVO roster. Per KTT 2, Smiley now appears as an artist on the OVO Sound website. The song’s credits also reveal it was released under OVO Sound and Warner.

Smiley recently sat down with Complex where he explained that Drake’s has been keeping a close eye on his moves since 2014. “A long time ago, it was 2014 or something like that. He heard those songs and I guess he paid close attention,” he said of. “And then when I took a break and I came back, I dropped this one song called ‘Hit.'”

Smiley’s been delivering a streak of bangers recently leading up to the release of “Over The Top.” Songs like “In My Zone” and “Moving Different” arrived earlier this year, along with the release of “Name Brand” with LB Spiffy and 6ixbuzz TV. 

Check out “Over The Top” below and let us know how you feel about Smiley. 

Kanye West commanded the attention of the entire hip-hop community this past week as we were all expecting the release of DONDA. After showcasing the album in Las Vegas last Sunday, it was revealed that the album would be dropping on Friday and that a listening party would be broadcasted on Thursday night. In the end, the live stream took place in Atlanta although it was clear that Ye’s new album wasn’t entirely finished.

Over the last 24 hours, there have been numerous updates on the album, and for a minute, it seemed like we would get the album last night. Instead, Justin Laboy dashed our dreams as he announced the album had been pushed back to August 6th as Kanye looks to add verses and fix up the mixes.

Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Universal Music Group

Despite these delays, Kanye is still receiving quite a bit of praise from his peers. For instance, longtime friend and collaborator Jerry Lorenzo took to Instagram last night with a lengthy paragraph about Kanye’s mindset right now and how Lorenzo admires the artist.

Per Lorenzo:

“None of us know the weight and responsibility of the gift of this level of influence… i spent nearly 3 and a half years on the road with this dude… without doubt the hardest working human i’ve ever met or worked with. so happy my guy is re-connected to that eternal source… can’t wait to hear the final edit. until then i’m on the last train with @johnmayer …there are many things ye does that i may see differently, but that has zero to do with my love and respect for him… he might bend slightly, but this cat ain’t breaking. …you don’t have to agree to understand. you don’t have see things the same way to love.”

Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company

Numerous Kanye fans are upset with the delays, and for now, Lorenzo’s comments might not sit right with Ye supporters. Regardless, those around Kanye are excited for what’s to come, which should be a good sign, moving forward.

Summer isn’t over yet, and Netflix is ensuring we’ve got a litany of series and movies to binge while on vacation. August will bring plenty of comedy, including all seven seasons of 30 Rock and Pineapple Express. Crime fans will be thrilled to check out Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings Of Miami and Narcos. Those good for a cheesy teen romance will love The Edge of Seventeen and the final The Kissing Booth 3. Leonardo Dicaprio fans will soon have two more of his best films to choose from Inception and Catch Me If You Can.

Netflix’s original content ranges from The Chair starring Sandra Oh as the first woman of color in her position at a major university, to Jason Momoa battling the monster that is Big Pharma in Sweet Girl. The Netflix series The Witcher gets an anime adaptation this round, with the prequel film to the series, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.

Check out the full list of additions, and below, that subtractions, for the month of August. 

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Available TBA

Comedy Premium League

D.P.

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Available 8/1

30 Rock: Seasons 1-7

Beethoven

Beethoven’s 2nd

Beowulf

Catch Me If You Can

Darwin’s Game

Deep Blue Sea

The Edge of Seventeen

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Five Feet Apart

Friday Night Lights: Seasons 1-5

Good Luck Chuck

The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia

Hunter X Hunter: Seasons 5-6

Inception

The Lincoln Lawyer

The Losers

The Machinist

Magnolia

Major Payne

My Girl

My Girl 2

The Net

The Original Kings of Comedy

Pineapple Express

Poms

Seabiscuit

Space Cowboys

Team America: World Police

8/3

Pray Away

Shiny_Flakes: The Teenage Drug Lord

Top Secret UFO Projects: Declassified

8/4

Aftermath

American Masters: Inventing David Geffen

Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami

Control Z: Season 2

Car Masters: Rust to Riches: Season 3

Cooking With Paris

8/6

Hit & Run

Navarasa

The Swarm

Vivo

8/8

Quartet

8/9

Shaman King

8/10

Gabby’s Dollhouse: Season 2

Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang

Untold

Untold: Malice at the Palace

8/11

Bake Squad

The Kissing Booth 3

La diosa del asfalto

Misha and the Wolves

8/12

AlRawabi School for Girls

Lokillo: Nothing’s the Same

Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild

8/13

Beckett

Brand New Cherry Flavor

Fast & Furious Spy Racers: Season 5: South Pacific

Gone for Good

The Kingdom

Valeria: Season 2

8/15

Mother Goose Club: Seasons 3-4

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai: Season 1

Winx Club: Season 6

8/16

Walk of Shame

8/17

Go! Go! Cory Carson: Season 5

Untold: Deal with the Devil

8/18

The Defeated

Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes

Out of my league

The Secret Diary of an Exchange Student

8/19

Like Crazy

8/20

The Chair

Everything Will Be Fine

The Loud House Movie

Sweet Girl

8/23

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf

8/24

Oggy Oggy

Untold: Caitlyn Jenner

8/25

Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed

Clickbait

John of God: The Crimes of a Spiritual Healer

Motel Makeover

The November Man

The Old Ways

Open Your Eyes

Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes

Rainbow High: Part 2

Really Love

The River Runner

Tayo the Little Bus: Season 4

The Water Man

8/26

Edens Zero

Family Reunion: Part 4

8/27

He’s All That

I Heart Arlo

Titletown High

8/28

Bread Barbershop: Season 2

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

8/31

Sparking Joy

Untold: Crime and Penalties

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Leaving 8/1

American Assassin

8/4

#cats_the_mewvie

8/7

The Promise

8/9

El Cartel: Seasons 1 & 2

Nightcrawler

8/12

Safety Not Guaranteed

Scary Movie 5

8/14

Mother Goose Club: Seasons 1-2

8/15

Jericho: Seasons 1-2

Wish I Was Here

8/20

Kill the Irishman

Norm of the North: Keys to the Kingdom

The Founder

8/22

1BR

8/26

The Angry Birds Movie 2

8/27

A Princess for Christmas

8/29

Strange but True

8/30

Casino Royale

The Eichmann Show

Full Out

Quantum of Solace

Stranger than Fiction

8/31

Adrift

Angel Eyes

The Big Lebowski

Chinatown

The Departed

Election

The Girl Next Door

Hey Arnold! The Movie

Hot Rod

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events

Love Actually

Love Happens

The Manchurian Candidate

Monsters vs. Aliens

The Muppets

Muppets Most Wanted

Nacho Libre

Moon Kingdom

Pootie Tang

The Prince & Me

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Resident Evil: Extinction

The Ring

Road to Perdition

The Social Network

Superbad

The Time Traveler’s Wife

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After a year of delays, the Olympics have finally begun in Tokyo, Japan and fans are curious as to how it is going to play out. There are a lot of unknowns this year and with the threat of COVID-19 looming, there very well could be some big changes. When it comes to Team USA basketball, we have already seen plenty of shake-ups as numerous players were left at home due to positive COVID tests. Now, the squad is being led by Kevin Durant and there are some serious question marks revolving around whether or not this team can get the job done.

Last night, Team USA spent the day at the opening ceremony where they got to see Naomi Osaka light the Olympic Cauldron. They are in for a very unique tournament, and as far as team building is concerned, they are already playing pranks on one another.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

In a video posted to JaVale McGee’s Instagram, you can see that various members of Team USA, including the crowd around them, started to sing Happy Birthday to Kevin Durant. If you know anything about KD, then you’re well aware that his birthday is actually on September 29th, and not July 23rd.

As a result of the whole ordeal, Durant seemed to be extremely confused, and based on the look on his face, he wasn’t all that impressed either. It can be embarrassing to have that many people singing to you at once, especially in an enclosed space.

Elsa/Getty Images

Hopefully, KD can find some peace throughout the rest of the tournament.

When Kanye West and Def Jam announced that his new album DONDA would be dropping on July 23rd, fans were incredibly excited. Snippets for the album were circulating online and they were all incredibly good. It seemed as though Kanye was taking a whole new direction with the album, and there were plenty of reasons to be excited. Not to mention, on Thursday, Kanye hosted a listening party in Atlanta which was livestreamed by Apple Music. 

In the end, the listening party seemed underwhelming as every track appeared to be pretty unfinished. A lack of drums and substantial mixing had fans wanting more, and Kanye was well aware of the project’s shortcomings. After failing to release the album on streaming services, Kanye went back to work with Mike Dean, and all throughout yesterday, there were rumblings that the album was on the way.

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Universal Music Group

Last night, fans got an unfortunate shock to their systems as it was revealed that the album had been delayed by another two weeks. The information came straight from Justin Laboy, who has become an insider of sorts ever since DONDA was announced early last week.

As you can imagine, the reactions to this news were not positive as fans lashed out at both Kanye and Laboy, who promised the album would be out as soon as late last night. Kanye is notorious for being late with his albums and when it comes to DONDA, we are stuck with what could be a very long wait.

You can see what people had to say about the matter, in the tweets below. Also, check out our piece on the listening party, right here.