Hip Hop News

It’s been over three years since Cardi B released her debut album, Invasion Of Privacy. The album has done numbers on the charts but fans have been hoping for some new music. Every so often, she pops out with a new guest verse, and this week, she provided the assist for Normani’s latest hit, “Wild Side.” The seductive jam puts Normani’s all-around skills, as both a vocalist and dancer, into focus while Cardi B’s lustful bars have left many of us wondering how she could suck a watermelon through a straw. Needless to say, it was only necessary that it’s been on steady rotation for our “R&B Season” playlist. 

Mahalia offered a bit of nostalgia to the mix this week when she dropped off her latest single, “Whenever You’re Ready.” The singer’s latest single is an upbeat record that pays homage to Montell Jordan by sampling his 90’s hit record, “Get it On Tonight.” It was only right that we included her new single on this week’s “R&B Season” playlist update.

JMSN’s been relatively under the radar since 2019’s Live Atwater Village but he’s been picking up the pace with new releases in the past few weeks. After releasing “Rolling Stone” in April, he came through with “Love 2 U” earlier this month. Hopefully, a new project is on the way.

Check out the latest R&B Season playlist update below. 

Game 5 of the NBA Finals was a thriller for sure. The Phoenix Suns fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 123-119. The Suns came out strong, after a fumbling a 2-0 series lead, with some urgency after losing two games in Milwaukee to tie the series up. However, the Sun’s 15 point lead was slowly chipped away at until the Bucks gained the lead. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton held it down for their squad. Giannis notched 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, Jrue finished with a clutch steal, 27 points, 13 assists, and 4 rebounds, and Khris ended with 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Patrick Connaughton also added 14 points off the bench. 

Devin Booker, determined to score, went for a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter, only to run into a wall of Bucks players. The team was expecting him to take the final shot, and was prepared. He backed out of the drive, only to run into Jrue Holiday, who stripped the ball and set Giannis up for a beautiful alley-oop. That played essentially ended the game.

Chris Paul, who has been playing as a top point guard in the league for 16 seasons, has yet to win a ring. After the game, a reporter asked Booker (who was seated next to Paul), a sensitive question. “Devin, how frustrated are you for Chris right now?,” asked one reporter.

Chris looks at Booker for a moment then asks, incredulously, “What?” Booker simply skips the question to avoid any problems. Watch the awkward moment below. 

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The Milwaukee Bucks were down 0-2 to the Brooklyn Nets, the favorite’s to win it all this year, in the second round of the NBA playoffs. They were able to come back and win the series though. The Bucks also found themselves down one game to the Atlanta Hawks to start the conference finals. Yet, they came back to win that series too. 

As if watching the same story on repeat, fans witnessed the Bucks go down 0-2 to the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. While those at home may have thought all was lost, Giannis Antetokounmpo said his team never gives up. 

I feel like we don’t stop,” Giannis told the press after rallying to win. The Bucks were down by 15 at one point in Game 5 before coming back to win. “I feel like — I’ve been a part of different teams. Usually when you’re down 15 or 16 or whatever, down 0-2 or whatever the case might be, you kind of like, stop. You kind of stop competing in a way. But I feel like this team, we don’t do that. We haven’t done that all year long, I think. I can’t remember, I can’t go that far back, but we keep competing…because we know the game is long; it’s 48 minutes, and we always try to put ourselves in a position to win the game. That’s all you can ask for.”

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“You go into a game, you don’t know if you’re going to win the game but you know if we compete for 48 minutes, we are good,” he continued. “We have great players, great closers, great shooters, great rebounders, great defenders, have a great coach and we know that we can put ourselves in a position to win the game.”

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Sheff G, born Michael Williams, was arrested on July 15 for the criminal passion of a weapon, which is a felony in New York City. He was booked into the Otis Bantum Correction enter in East Elmhurst, New York. His bail was remanded, so he will stay behind bars until August 18, which is when he will get a chance to see a judge.

Sheff G’s importance to the Brooklyn drill movement cannot be overstated. He had a great 2020, finding success in the projects Proud of Me Now and One and Only. Last month, he released a new banger “Start Some Shyt.”

The Brooklyn drill rapper has had several run-ins with the law as of late. In January, Sheff G was arrested on charges of illegal gun possession after cops found a .45 caliber handgun during a routine traffic stop.

“We will vigorously defend these charges,” said Sheff’s attorney, Mitchell Elman, at the time. “I have no further comment at this time.” 

Sheff’s recent arrest occurred right as Winner’s Circle signee Eli Fross was arrested for a Times Square shooting. Fross is currently facing attempted murder and weapons charges after shooting at a man during a road rage incident. 

The Phoenix Suns lost Game 5 to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, given the latter a 3-2 series lead. The Suns have only been behind in one series, versus the Lakers, before Anthony Davis got injured. Then, the Suns played the Nuggets without Jamal Murray and the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard. Now, they find themselves one game back to the only fully healthy team they’ve faced this late in a series. 

Sitting courtside for the drama was a range of names, from Lil Wayne to LeBron James. However, it was Adele and her new beau Rich Paul that made headlines. The couple sat courtside, making their first public appearance together.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst seemed to confirm the relationship during an episode of “The Lowe Post” podcast after Game 5.

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“Rich Paul, [LeBron’s] agent, brings his girlfriend to the game to sit next to LeBron. His girlfriend is Adele,” said Windhorst. “Rich Paul is at the game with Adele. … This is the first time that they’ve come out in public together. So this will be all over the tabloids, especially in England tomorrow.”

The New Yorker also hinted at Paul’s relationship with a “major pop star,” who was spending time at his Beverly Hills home.

Usher got the hits for days, and audiences were reminded with the launch of his Las Vegas residency. On Friday, July 18, the hitmaker made his return to live performing when he brought the heat to a crowd of over 4,000 people at Ceasar’s Palace. His new residency will reportedly continue until August 14. 

Usher, who’s last album A was a collaborative effort with super producer Zaytoven, took the stage and delivered nothing but hits from his extensive catalogue. Songs he performed included “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love,” “My Boo,” “Without You,” “Burn,” “No Limit,” and many more that showcased the longevity of his career from the 90’s to the present. 

Opening night of Usher’s Las Vegas residency saw fans and crowdgoers taking to social media to discuss their favorite moments, as well as fan out over the concert spectacle as a whole. Check out some reactions from Twitter below.

 Usher’s last solo album Hard II Love was released in 2016. With a long wait between solo projects, it is reported that he will drop an album of new material titled Confessions 2. Last month, he featured on the remix to Justin Bieber’s “Peaches.” He also made a guest appearance on Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’s debut album Jam & Lewis: Volume One. 

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