Hip Hop News

Last November, Hip-Hop fans everywhere learned about the tragic passing of yet another beloved rapper. Reports surfaced that Dallas’ own Mo3 had tragically been shot and killed on a Dallas freeway. In a year in which violence also took the lives of artists such as Pop Smoke and King Von, fans especially grieved over the tragic loss of Mo3. Roughly three weeks following his passing, reports revealed that then-21-year-old Kewon Dontrell White was arrested and accused of killing the Dallas rapper.

This week, White received a major update on his current legal situation. According to The Dallas Morning News, Dallas County grand jurors indicted the now-22-year-old on a murder charge pertaining to the November highway shooting death of Mo3. Although footage provided by Dallas police officer’s depict Mo3’s shooter wearing a ski mask, law enforcement reportedly believes White to be the shooter.

Reports reveal that White will remain in federal custody due to a previous felony conviction until he stands trial in federal court in April. He could face up to life in prison with the possibility of parole if convicted.

As reports earlier this week have shown, families of the victims in situations like these don’t always wish prison on the opposing party. Do you think that Kewon White should face jail time for the charges brought against him?

[via]

LeBron James has won a ton of individual awards throughout his time in the NBA, including the MVP trophy. Over the past few years, LeBron has been passed up for other players, which has led to a ton of debate about who actually deserves the award. Last year was especially controversial after LeBron lost out to the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While speaking to reporter Bill Oram of The Athletic, LeBron’s teammate Anthony Davis was asked about the MVP award and whether James even cares about it. As AD explained, the Lakers star couldn’t care less about the individual accolades, as all he wants to win are the championships.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

“Put it to you like this,” Davis said. “I know that that man does not care about MVP awards. He cares about championships. So if he loses the MVP and wins the championship like he did last year, he doesn’t care. So that’s what his mindset is, he’s not focused on MVPs. He’s focused on Finals MVPs.”

This is the kind of mentality you want on your team, as it’s one that looks to advance the team rather than one specific individual. As a result of LeBron’s mentality, the Lakers were able to win the championship last season, and now, they look poised to do some damage again in the playoffs.

Needless to say, the Lakers are lucky to have LeBron right now.

Harry How/Getty Images

[Via]

Griselda lyricist Benny The Butcher is getting ready to drop his first project of the year, and by his own admission, the follow-up to his recent Burden Of Proof is set to be another classic. After previously teasing the March 19th release date for The Plugs I Met 2, the Harry Fraud-produced sequel to his acclaimed 2019 EP, Benny has returned to share a glimpse at the cinematic album cover.

Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty Images

Once again drawn from the classic Brian De Palma film Scarface, the picture depicts a stylized image of Tony Montana’s meeting with Alejandro Sosa. Alongside the image, Benny opted to share a brief hype-inducing message, though he maintained that the work would ultimately speak for itself. 

“Me and @harryfraud linked up on ni**as I could sit here and type a bunch of shit but y’all know my work and if u don’t where the fuck u been,” writes The Butcher, prompting a surge of excited comment from some of his hip-hop peers. Curren$y chimed in with “There it go,” while Lloyd Banks opted to deliver three fire emojis for good measure; we can only hope to see verses from both parties. On that note, The Butcher has decided to keep the features under wraps for now. It should be noted that the first Plugs I Met had appearances from Black Thought, Pusha T, Jadakiss, Conway The Machine, and more. 

Look for The Plugs I Met 2 to land on March 19th. For more from Benny, read our exclusive interview with the Buffalo emcee right here. 

Casanova has been going through a rough time as he is currently in prison on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. The rapper was recently denied bond, and to stay grounded, he has been receiving frequent visits from his wide Swaggy Jazzy who has offered numerous updates on his condition.

The rapper has been able to use social media during his time in jail, and recently, he had some strong words for those who have shown him fake love. In fact, it seems like Casanova hasn’t been getting very few visits, which has been disheartening considering he isn’t too far outside of the city.

“They saying free me on the internet, I’m a hour away ain’t get a visit yet…hope that don’t go over your head…,” Casanova explained. The rapper shared a similar sentiment in screenshots that were posted to Instagram but ultimately deleted. In these screenshots, Casanova reposted his own tweets that shared quotes like “Keep your personal business to yourself and move in silence. Remember, your friends got friends you don’t f*** with.”

Dealing with something of this magnitude can certainly mess with someone’s mental health, so hopefully, Casanova’s support system pulls through for him. As for his case, we will continue to bring you all of the latest updates on the proceedings.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

It’s been so long since Top Dawg Entertainment has released something from one of their longtime artists that it feels as if the fateful day will never arrive. What once amounted to delirious hype has since faded into a jaded sort of hopelessness, one that fans have essentially adopted as a defense mechanism. After all, one can not be disappointed about an album that one has already accepted will remain in a perpetual state of limbo. And yet every so often, the legendary label provides the slightest teaser, which inevitably provides a spark of life once more.

Lester Cohen/WireImage/Getty Images 

Today, that spark comes by way of an intriguing TikTok post from the official Top Dawg Entertainment account, one that depicts a loading bar gradually climbing from zero to one-hundred. Of course, it’s entirely possible that TDE is simply welcoming themselves to TikTok in a stylistic fashion — but seeing as new music from Isaiah Rashad, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, and SZA are all due for release, the optimists among us have chosen to take this as a sign. 

More specifically, a sign that TDE is once again gearing up to reclaim their spot as the rap game’s dominant label. Should this mysterious post indeed herald the dawn of a new era, perhaps further news on TDE’s most anticipated releases will be soon to follow. After all, something has to give, does it not? Albums that are being worked on must come out eventually. If only TDE would follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s lead and outline a roadmap of their future plans…

Check out TDE’s inaugural TikTok post below, and allow your hopes to be adjusted accordingly. 

@topdawgent

Loading. #TDE

♬ original sound – Top Dawg Ent

Kevin Durant has been a stud since returning from his Achilles injury, although as a result of this prior setback, the Brooklyn Nets have been cautious with their star. They don’t want him to aggravate old injuries and put himself in a position where he could miss a significant amount of time. For instance, Durant recently suffered a hamstring injury and since that time, the Nets have kept him out of the lineup.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Durant will be missing even more time, as the Nets superstar will not be playing in the All-Star Game. In his place, the NBA will be placing Damontas Sabonis of the Indiana Pacers on the Eastern Conference roster.

Sabonis will be part of the reserves, although when it comes to the starting lineup, that spot will be given to Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, who is someone that certainly deserves the opportunity.

This news might come as a disappointment to some Nets fans out there, who were hoping for some good news when it comes to their superstar. Regardless, it’s clear that Durant is taking his health seriously and when he does come back, he will be out on fresh legs.

Stay tuned for more details on Durant’s injury status, as we will make sure to keep you informed.

Lauren Bacho/Getty Images

Since Bobby Shmurda’s long-awaited release from prison earlier this week, the culture has been a joyous, celebratory state. The Brooklyn rapper spent the last six years of his life behind bars due to gang charges, and after years of speculation that he may be granted early parole, Bobby Shmurda was finally released from prison on Tuesday morning. Now, the “Hot N****” rapper is enjoying life as a free man and easing back into the public eye.

According to breaking news from today, it looks like Bobby has yet another reason to celebrate. As previously reported by Billboard, the recently freed rapper’s streams have experienced a massive spike following his release from prison. According to MRC Data, on-demand streams of Bobby Shmurda’s entire catalog, in the United States alone, are up 624% since his homecoming on February 23. 

Considering the hype and anticipation for the Shmurda She Wrote rapper’s release, it’s not at all surprising that the rapper’s streams have increased so drastically. With a surge of this magnitude, now definitely seems like the perfect opportunity for Bobby to drop new music.

As we’ve reported on time and time again, numbers don’t lie, so this streaming surge definitely proves that the Brooklyn artist is one of the most pressing rappers out right now. What Bobby Shmurda songs have you been bumping since his release on Tuesday?

[via]

When people discuss notable hip-hop entrepreneurs, it’s not often that Nas’ name comes up in the early stages of the conversation. Yet in reality, he probably should, considering the fact that he remains one of the rap game’s shrewdest investors. Case in point, his Queensbridge Venture Partners company has made notable investments in Dropbox, Ring, Parachute, SeatGeek, General Assembly, Robinhood, Casper, Pillpack, and Pluto TV among others — many of which have paid out quite favorably for the legendary lyricist.

Scott Legato/Getty Images

Yesterday night, Nas’ manager Anthony Saleh, otherwise known by his Instagram handle Dudebro, took a moment to highlight the impressive nature of his partner’s investment portfolio. “Nas would beat any artist in a tech investment portfolio Verzuz,” he wrote, a message that went on to catch Nas’ attention. “I agree,” added the Queensbridge lyricist, who seems to recognize exactly how dominant he is in this particular field of business. 

Though many were rightfully impressed by Nas’ flex, others used the opportunity of seeing his name and Verzuz in the same sentence to fantasize about their own potential musical match-ups. Naturally, Nas has been a frequently-requested contender in Tim and Swizzy’s friendly competition, though only a select number of artists would stand a remote chance of keeping stride. Basically, Nas excels whether the hypothetical Verzuz battle criteria centers on music or investment portfolio — if that’s not the making of a true GOAT contender, what is?