Hip Hop News

Idris Elba wants all social media users to be forced to get verified and use their real names and information, a solution he poses to fix a problem of “cowards” who “spout racial rhetoric,” behind vague usernames. Elba explained his proposal in a statement uploaded to his Instagram, Sunday.

“People in the public eye get verified on social media, (symbolised by a blue tick), the process of verification requires them to prove their IDENTITY, so everyone knows WHO is speaking,” he prefaced his take.

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“SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES SHOULD MAKE THIS MANDATORY FOR ALL USERS,” he added in all caps.

He continued: “Currently, social media is like boarding a plane and not having to show I.D. THAT would never happen. If cowards are being supported by a veil of privacy and secrecy, then social media is not a safe space. It is an aeroplane that allows travellers to wear balaclavas. If cowards want to spout racial rhetoric then say it with your name, not your username.”

As of now, Twitter says that their blue check feature exists to let “people know that an account of public interest is authentic.”

Elba will be starring in James Gunn’s highly anticipated film, The Suicide Squad, releasing later this summer.

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Isaiah Stokes, who plays the character Mozzy in Power, has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a man in Queens, New York, back in February. In addition to being charged with murder in the second degree, a grand jury is hitting Stokes with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

The D.A.’s office alleges that Stokes killed 37-year-old Tyrone Jones on Feb. 7. Surveillance footage reportedly shows the actor approaching Jones’ car and firing 11 shots into the vehicle.

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“The defendant is accused of unloading nearly eleven shots during this brazen afternoon shooting,” D.A. Melinda Katz said in a statement. “Gun violence is all too prevalent in our neighborhoods. We will not allow it to become the norm.”

In addition to his performance on Power, Stokes has appeared in episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Boardwalk Empire, The Americans, Blue Bloods, and The Mysteries of Laura, and others. He also makes music on the side under the name I$AIAH.

Stokes faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. 

Power Book III: Raising Kanan was recently renewed for a second season, ahead of its debut later this year.

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Wiz Khalifa says he is free of COVID-19, after testing positive for the virus, earlier this week. He also shared a video of himself back out of quarantine on his Instagram story following his negative test results.

“My most recent test came back negative so I’m free of COVID,” he announced on Twitter, Saturday.

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The negative test results arrived less than a week after the Pittsburgh rapper announced he had contracted the virus.

“Okay loved ones….sooo…..Ya boy got covid. No symptoms. Just stay away from me for a lil while,” he tweeted on July 14th. “While im in the house I’ll be givin y’all new content, planning raves, and readying this new project.”

Khalifa’s positive test comes as a new Delta variant of the coronavirus is traversing the globe. On Sunday, the former head of the FDA, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, explained on Face The Nation just how serious this new variant is.

“This virus is so contagious, this variant is so contagious that it’s going to infect the majority — that most people will either get vaccinated or have been previously infected or they will get this Delta variant,” Gottlieb said. “And for most people who get this Delta variant, it’s going to be the most serious virus that they get in their lifetime in terms of the risk of putting them in the hospital.”

Calboy joined in on the criticism of Pop Smoke’s new posthumous album, Faith, Saturday, complaining about being left off of the record. He explained this is not the first time that Smoke’s people have slighted him, after he was left off of 2020’s Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon.

“This the second time Brodie camp played with a verse of mine ..bro knew what it was n what it wasn’t,” he wrote in a tweet. “It’s all love for him 4L but I have zero respect for tht camp bro.”

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One fan asked Calboy, “Why Steven victor do you dirty on both of Pop’s albums, that shot ain’t right bro.”

“Fuck em ! LongLivePop tho,” Calboy replied.

The 22-year-old rapper was far from the only one to have complaints about the new project. In addition to Smoke’s close friend, Mike Dee, fellow New York rapper Rowdy Rebel voiced his frustrations about Faith on Twitter, earlier this week.

“SMH I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY MY BOY NOT ON THIS TRACC,” Rowdy wrote. “AYOO @ELIFROSS_ DONT TRIP BRO YU KNO HOW THESES INDUSTRY N***AS IS STRAIGHT SUCCERS.”

Check out Smoke’s new posthumous album for yourself here.

LeBron James called out his haters on social media, Saturday, after Deadline reported that his new film, Space Jam: A New Legacy, debuted at number one in the box office earnings. The film was released in theaters and on HBO Max, this weekend, 25 years after the release of the original film.

Space Jam: A New Legacy earned $31.65M in its first 3 days of release, a new best for Warner Bros. since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In achieving the top spot, Space Jam beat out Marvel’s newest film, Black Widow, which finished with $26.25M in earnings.

“Hi Haters!” James wrote on Twitter, Saturday, with a link to the article.

Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images

On Friday, James also spoke about the surreal experience of seeing the movie hit theaters during a video posted to social media:

I literally got a movie that dropped today. ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy,’ oh my goodness. It finally just hit me, I can’t believe it. I’m so honored, I’m so humbled, this is crazy. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I’ve got so much energy today, I hope everybody goes out, check it out at the movie theaters, HBO Max. Wherever it’s around you, please check it out, I promise you won’t be disappointed. I’m just super hype right now, I can’t even control my energy right now. I’m watching my son right now playing his basketball game in Augusta, Georgia. My wife is right next to me, she’s looking at me crazy because it’s like 8 o’clock in the morning.

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Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder were set to meet for the third time on July 24th in Las Vegas, but that has all been postponed due to a positive COVID test in Fury’s camp. The two boxers fought to a draw in their first match, and Fury won the second match by TKO. After Wilder forced the third fight sooner rather than later, plans were to see the trilogy play out. But Wilder’s fiancée Telli Swift claims that Fury is trying to postpone that final bout. 

“You’ve trained so hard, blood, sweat, and tears and then for someone to have COVID and Deontay’s fight with torn biceps, broken fingers, burns on his arms, and he still fought,” said Swift to TMZ. “So, I just feel like with COVID and you have sixteen days until the fight, he should still be able to fight and make it happen.”

“I don’t think that he’s ready,” she continued. “I think he’s buying time, and I just feel like he feels Deontay is at the best looking-wise.” That’s a bold claim, especially since COVID protocols would push the fight back regardless of how Fury felt personally. “Deontay’s mind… he eats, sleeps, lives Tyson Fury. So, he’s ready for Tyson,” she concluded.