Hip Hop News

Shocking news came out of the NBA today as it was revealed that LaMarcus Aldridge would be retiring from the game of basketball due to a heart condition. After signing with the Brooklyn Nets, many expected Aldridge to make a huge playoff run this year, which made his retirement announcement that much more shocking. In the end, however, Aldridge wanted to be around for his family and you can’t help but respect his decision.

Aldridge’s former Blazers teammate Damian Lillard was on ESPN as the news was breaking, and in the clip below, you can see Lillard make the case for Aldridge’s jersey retirement in Portland. As Lillard notes, Aldridge deserves to be honored as he was instrumental in that team’s success.

“It’s time the Blazers retire the number 12 man,” Lillard said. “He had an amazing career in a Trail Blazers uniform. There is no denying the kind of career he had in Portland and what he meant to this city. I think that’s the proper respect to retire that jersey because of who he was and what he did for the organization.”

While it might take a while for the Blazers to make such a decision, it’s clear that Aldridge has the support of players throughout the league, which is great to see considering the circumstances.

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J.I.D’s The Forever Story, provided he opts to retain that title, is easily one of hip-hop’s most anticipated albums. Presumably set to drop later this year, J.I.D. has yet to provide much in the way of concrete information surrounding the project. Though he has teased potential collaborations with Benny The Butcher and Cordae, as well as the rumored involvement of No I.D as executive producer, fans have been left speculating as to what the Dreamville lyricist has been cooking up.

As it happens, J.I.D recently took to Instagram to provide an update of sorts, sharing a collection of photos and videos from the ongoing creation of his album. “This is how u make an album,” he captions. Plenty of familiar faces can be found throughout the slideshow, including Denzel Curry, 6LACK, Buddy, and Smino, with the latter appearing to have already laid down some vocals for an upcoming track.  

While not included in any of the pictures, producers Jetsonmade and Dem Jointz slid into the comments, which may very well suggest their interest in contributing to the project. “You missing jetson,” writes Jetsonmade, leaving us wondering as to whether or not we’ll see them remedy that before the album wraps. 

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On a related note, it hasn’t been an entirely dry period for J.I.D fans. The talented emcee recently dropped off his new single “Skegee,” and yesterday he joined forces with Conway The Machine and Ludacris for the Don Cannon produced banger “Scatter Brain.”  Given the chemistry he and The Machine have clearly developed on wax, it would certainly be nice to see them go for the hat trick when The Never Story rolls around.

Stay tuned for more news on J.I.D’s upcoming album, clearly still in the creation stages if these photos are any indication, and sound off if you’re eager to hear what he’s been working on. 

Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory is currently serving a 30-year sentence for his role as the leader of Black Mafia Family, a drug trafficking organization that netted millions of dollars in the 90s and early aughts. Despite the good fortune that his brother, Terry “Southwest T” Flenory, had in being released early during the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Meech was not dealt the same fate. His own request for compassionate release was denied on multiple occasions.

As 50 Cent works on the first season of BMF, his upcoming television series focusing on the operations run by Big Meech and his brother, the boss’s son Lil Meech has shared new pictures of his father behind bars, showing everyone that he’s doing well.

“Do It Look Like We Stressin?” asked Lil Meech in his latest caption on Instagram, who was cast in the upcoming BMF show. He posted three different pictures of his dad flexing his muscles and hanging with two other inmates. “Pops Did What He Had To Do So I Could End Up Here? Lol F*cc A Deny This Mob Sh*t Led Us To Generational Wealth I Can’t Even Pay Him Bacc For What He Did For Me But When He Touchdown Imma Make Sure He Have Fun With These Millions On The MOB #FREEBIGZIPPO.”

Recently, 50 Cent revealed a few of the rappers that tried out for parts in the upcoming BMF series but ultimately did not land their roles. Read more about that here.

How do you think Big Meech is looking?

Hollywood is known for pumping out sequels and reboots, but what many production studios have been moving toward is interconnected film properties. Moviegoers and film industry executives alike have witnessed the insane success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as other shared universes like Legendary’s MonsterVerse, which recently released the polarizing Godzilla vs. Kong, as well as the DC Extended Universe. As a result, it only makes sense that film studios would jump at the opportunity to produce an attention-grabbing crossover or spinoff.

It turns out that the infamous Fast & Furious series is down to entertain the possibility of doing crossovers with beloved movie franchises as well. Earlier this week, the long-running saga dropped the latest trailer to its forthcoming film F9, which is set to hit theatres on June 25. Ahead of the films’ release later this summer, two members of F9‘s film crew have entertained the possibility of an extremely peculiar Fast & Furious crossover.

According to Cinema Blend, F9 director Justin Lin and stars Vin Diesel, John Cena, and Michelle Rodriguez attended an exclusive press conference at which they were asked by a journalist about the possibility of a Fast & Furious and Jurassic World crossover since both film properties are owned by Universal. Surprisingly, both Rodriguez and Lin enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity to discuss a potential crossover between the disparate franchises.

“I love it, dude! I’m all in! We were talking about this yesterday,” Rodriguez revealed. “Once you reach a certain pinnacle, there’s nowhere to go but to cross-brand and merge. The only thing standing in the way is lawyers, and studios because usually the brands that you’re trying to merge belong to different studios or whatever. But if it’s under the same umbrella? I don’t know. I’m just saying it works.”

“Well, I’ll never say never to anything,” Lin said about the potential crossover film. And the fact that part of our philosophy is not to ever be boxed in or labeled … that’s all I will say.” 

Would you be interested in seeing a crossover between Fast & Furious and Jurassic World in the future?

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These past weeks have seen Bobby Shmurda frequenting the studio to work on his upcoming album, having previously linked with Murda Beatz, Lil Durk, Rowdy Rebel, Gucci Mane, and more. Suffice it to say, many fans are eager to see which direction the self-declared King Of New York takes on his anticipated studio album, from which a promising snippet or two has already surfaced.  

As it happens, Jim Jones was putting in work in the studio when Bobby Shmurda happened to show up, purely by coincidence. Upon reuniting, the pair proceeded to break out into a gleeful bout of wrestling. Following that, a thoroughly stoned Jones took a moment to share a heartfelt video message, celebrating the rapper’s character. 

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Jim Jones demands that the masses give Bobby Shmurda his flowers, highlighting the way he handled his seven-year stint in prison. “He did it like he was supposed to,” says Jones. “He paid his debt to society like a real n***a do, you heard? Back to the bag.”

In addition to his video message, Jones also elaborated on his friendship with Shmurda in a lengthy caption. “First time I seen Bobby last night his energy is impeccable,” begins the Dipset legend. “I’m in th studio high as a kite I hear sombody say I got the billy wit me I look up it’s Bobby bitch @itsbobbyshmurda we immediately break out into a wrestling match. lol love this fool as I look at this clip again I started to laugh n smile all over again.”

“I can say I am genuinely for this young man,” he continues. “Yal b celebrating these weirdos I’m celebrating my hero’s.” Check out Jim Jones’ message for Bobby Shmurda below, and sound off if you hope to see these two collaborating in the near future. 

Curren$y is making major moves as an entrepreneur, stepping into the NFT game with his upcoming new music release. Partnering with Bondly.Finance, the Jet Life representative will be dropping a brand new EP as an NFT on 4/20, also offering all kinds of perks for the collectors that get lucky.

The new seven-song project is called Financial District and it will include artwork by Kid Eight. It has not been revealed whether or not any of the songs have features yet. Perhaps the most exciting perk from the NFT package is a virtual invite to a backstage smoke session with Curren$y at his upcoming concert in Houston. 

Financial District will only be offered as an NFT so you’d better get to learning all about the latest tech craze if you’re not up on game yet. The NFT auction will be open for three days. The highest bidder will also receive flights and hotel accommodation to meet Curren$y at a later date.

“Jet Life is a brand that you can believe in,” said Curren$y about the drop. “Jet Life has always been at the forefront of using technology and alternative distribution models, so dropping an exclusive NFT only EP for my most passionate fans and then inviting them to a virtual smoke session with me backstage before my show in Houston on 4/20 is synonymous with my brand.”

Learn more about the one-of-a-kind release at Curren$y’s website.