Hip Hop News

Fans of Hip-Hop can all relate to wanting to see two of their favorite artists link up and release new music together. Whether you’re still waiting out for the fabled Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole joint project or are becoming increasingly excited for whatever Lil Baby and Lil Durk have on the way, there’s simply nothing better than an amazing collaboration between two rappers that you admire. That appeared to be the thought process, at least, for one fan who suggested that Rico Nasty work with Coi Leray, but the artist behind the recently released Nightmare Vacation quickly shut that down.

According to The Neighborhood Talk, a fan reportedly took to social media to comment under one of Rico Nasty’s posts, writing, “we need a coi leray collab.” Once Rico caught wind of the comment, she matter-of-factly replied to the comment with a simple, yet firm “No.” Fans of both artists are likely disappointed with the eccentric Maryland rapper’s disinterest in working with Coi Leray, but their past beef will probably hinder any fruitful work relationship from developing in the near future.

Late last spring, Rico Nasty and the “No More Parties” rapper got into a heated exchange on Twitter, with ruthless shots and harsh critiques of each other’s music flying back and forth over a slew of tweets.  

Coi Leray got a major jab in at Rico, when she tweeted, “@Rico_nastyy when you see me Just make sure you keep that same energy… I showed you love but you just can’t deal with that fact that I MAKE BETTER MUSIC THAN YOU , I LOOK BETTER THAN YOU, I DRESS BETTER THAN YOU , and never in my life have I JOCKED your style.”

However, Rico Nasty hit back even harder, saying, “Make better music .. lemme see ya streams and YouTube views . Have u went gold or platinum THEEFUCK U ARE FAMOUS BC YOU SUCK A MEAN DICK WITH THEM BIG ASS TEETH . Don’t come over here making this shit about me . I was minding my business . Tryna get shit RITE with MY FRIEND.”

Needless to say, their beef was never truly settled, so fans probably shouldn’t expect the two rappers to collaborate anytime soon.

By now, you’ve surely heard about the NFT craze happening as people rush to educate themselves on the latest trend to emerge from the crypto-art space. Artists have taken advantage of the latest boom in NFT (non-fungible token) blockchain offerings, including Grimes and Tory Lanez, who both made millions from selling unreleased music and other art as NFTs. 

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Companies have been trying to gain a quick understanding of the trend, predicting that it could be a big thing for years to come. With the way everyone has flocked to the digital files in recent weeks, it’s no surprise that larger entities are beginning to try their luck in the space, including famed fashion house Gucci, which is officially selling a virtual pair of sneakers for $12, which you’ll never actually be able to physically wear, as an NFT.

While most Gucci sneakers will cost you hundreds of dollars to procure, the latest kicks offered by the Italian design brand come for only $11.99 USD. Launching a series of augmented reality sneakers as NFTs, Gucci attempts to remain a pioneer in the tech fashion space, staying on top of the latest trends. The NFTs are a collaboration with Belarus-based company Wanna, according to Hypebeast, and they will remain at the low price of $11.99. They’re currently available on Gucci’s app and are unlimited.

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Will you be picking up a pair of digitized sneakers from Gucci?

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Since being released from prison following a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, Kodak Black has been steadily biding his time and putting in work on new music. The last album released by the Floridian rapper arrived at the end of 2018, when he dropped off Dying To Live right in time for the holiday season; aside from a few misguided attempts for mainstream attention, the project was easily one of Kodak’s strongest projects to date.

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The young rapper’s momentum was derailed by his lengthy prison stint, though his loyal fans have remained patient throughout the uncertain process. Now, it would appear that Kodak is gearing up to reclaim lost territory, taking to Instagram to preview a new snippet. From the sound of it, his next release will be a posse cut with WizDaWizard, WamSpinThaBin, and Syko Bob. “2021 To The Death We Applying Pressure Accordingly,” captions Kodak, suggesting his intentions to make this year his own.

Furthering that notion is the fact that Kodak appears to be taking extra measures to assert his dominance. Over the past week or so, the Sniper Gang rapper has been issuing reminders about the scope of his influence, referencing among other things his “let me drive the boat” quote that went on to spark a Megan Thee Stallion viral trend. 

While his confidence may rub some the wrong way, others are satisfied to see Kodak gunning for the credit he deserves. Either way, he appears particularly inspired this year, so look out for this coming posse cut and whatever else he’s got cooking up.   

Los Angeles rapper Drakeo The Ruler shared some hot takes on social media this week, mouthing off against his fellow West Coast rap stars and claiming superiority over them. He said that he’s the best rapper alive from California, effectively dissing Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, The Game, and dozens of other prolific forces from the state. During his tweeting spree, Drakeo specifically took aim at Snoop, saying that nobody under the age of 30 listens to The Doggfather.

His comments seem to have sparked some commentary from California’s music scene, particularly Game and Snoop, who made separate remarks about the state of the game, and how untied its rappers are, on the West Coast.

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“The problem wit California rappers is n***as don’t really f*ck wit each other like the ATL & NY n***as do,” said The Game on Twitter. “When I came up, I was the only young n***a ON ON & I extended my self to as many new n***as as I could & have always protected the WEST BY ANY MEANS!“

While some people have disputed his claims that New York sticks together, pointing out the numerous issues that have arisen from the city’s rap scene, the general sentiment seems to be echoing Game’s words in the comments. When the tweet was reposted by The Shade Room, Snoop Dogg noticed it and added his two cents. “I back that and am one to start that,” said Snoop in the comments. Lyrica Anderson said the statement could also apply to singers in California. “This goes for singers to which is sooooo true,” she said. “It’s fake support if it is.”

Do you think there will ever be a united rap force in California like we’ve seen in Atlanta and other cities in the country? And do you agree that California-based rappers don’t necessarily always stick together?

People across the United States have been in awe since news spread of the mass shooting that occurred at three spas across the Atlanta metropolitan area. The shootings reportedly left eight people dead, most of whom were women of Asian descent. As a result, many people have interpreted the shootings to be a hate crime against the Asian-American Pacific Islander community, despite the shooter allegedly claiming that sexual addiction was his motive. Still, reports have shown that nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents have occurred over the past year, so many public figures have been taking this moment to address the rise of Asian hate in America. The latest, Jhené Aiko.

In a series of posts to Instagram, Jhené Aiko condemns AAPI hate, shares a story about her grandfather, and gives her followers action steps and resources that they can take note of. In her first post, Jhené opted for a simple graphic from the Asian-American Collective that read, “Hate is A VIRUS.” She quickly followed up that post with a more heartfelt statement regarding her grandfather. 

Throughout the post, Jhené shares her late Grandpa Teddy’s legacy and reflects on the discrimination that he faced throughout his life. According to Aiko, Teddy was “a Japanese-American man from Compton, California,” who was known as “one of the best defense lawyers in Los Angeles.” She detailed Teddy’s work throughout the Los Angeles riots and also talked about how brave he was to marry a Black woman and raise six biracial children, as well as several mixed-race great and grandchildren. 

“Grandpa Teddy fought for his family and his community until his dying day,” Jhené writes in her caption. “And I owe it to him to continue to fight for justice and equality for my communities as well. Getting to know each other’s stories, we learn we are more alike than different. Not until we understand this will we truly see each other.”

She concludes her post about her grandfather with a major call to action, saying, “We have the opportunity to stop the hate NOW. #StopAsianHate #STOPAAPIHATE #tellourstories.”

Finally, Jhené shared a post that detailed seven action steps for people who are wondering what they can do to help stop discrimination and hate against people of Asian descent. In light of the Atlanta shootings, Asian hate is definitely more important and pressing of an issue than many people likely thought before, and Jhené Aiko’s series of posts serve as a great way to get informed and help make a change.