Hip Hop News

Royce Da 5’9 recently opened up about his battle with alcoholism and his subsequent recovery, during an interview with HipHopDX. Royce says it was in the company of Dr. Dre when he first began drinking.

“It was just so many years of just — excuse my language— fucking up,” Royce told the outlet while reflecting on the dark time in this life.

He explained: “Just doing bad stuff, doing, making really bad decisions, having myself in situations that quite honestly I just felt like I was better than. It’s just dumbing myself down a lot. It was just really hard to stand on anything when you’re letting go of your inhibitions all day, every day. This is the business for that, you know what I mean? Once I started reaching a certain age, you don’t look cool doing that shit for a long time. It’s like first they’re laughing with you, then they start to laugh at you.”

Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images

Royce eventually quit alcohol and drug use in 2012 to focus on his life as a husband and father. He says his longtime collaborator, Eminem, played a pivotal role in supporting his recovery.

“I like to call it a spiritual awakening. I just woke up one day and there [it] was… I felt like I was just up. I made the necessary phone calls. I called Marshall [Mathers], and I said ‘Yo, I’m stopping drinking. I’m not drinking no more.’ He was like ‘Dog, that’s the realest thing you’ve ever said to me. Come home.’”

Royce will celebrate his ninth year of sobriety in September.

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Cardi B, following suit with a number of other voices in the hip-hop community, came to the defense of Sha’Carri Richardson on social media, Saturday. Richardson was suspended by the United States Anti-Doping Association after testing positive for marijuana use.

Cardi initially clapped back at reporter Claire Lehmann, who speculated that Richardson was using steroids. 

“Not sure whether the nails are real or fake, but in case you didn’t know very strong nails & hair can be a side effect of steroid use,” Lehmann tweeted, Friday.

“B I O T I N…….You needs for your thin ass hair,” replied Cardi.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Cardi took to Instagram to further comment on the situation:

This is how I feel about the Sha’Carri situation, right. I feel like we cannot turn time around. I feel like the Olympics are going to try and be so hard on her ’cause this has been a big situation. However, that doesn’t take away [from the fact] that she’s the most talked about athlete. Three years from now, she’s going to be the No. 1 most-anticipated to go to the Olympics.

Richardson says that she used the drug in Oregon, where it is legal, as a coping mechanism after learning of her mother’s death.

Check out Cardi’s posts below.

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Golden State Warriors all-star Klay Thompson admitted that it has been a challenge for him to watch the NBA Playoffs, having injured his achilles prior to the season. The Warriors guard also gave fans an update on his recovery status during a recent live stream on Instagram.

“It’s hard for me to watch, to be honest, fellas,” Thompson said while streaming from a boat. “It’s hard for me to watch because I know if we was there it’d be a different story, but you gotta channel that energy into your workouts.”

Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

The Warriors failed to qualify for the playoffs after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies during the play-in tournament, which pitted teams ranked 7th through 10th against each other for a playoff spot. 

As for his rehab process, Thompson says he’s “made some huge strides.”

“Rehab’s going very well,” he explained. “I had a great day today, made some huge strides. I got some jumpers up, it just feels good to get up and down the floor right now.”

The last time fans saw Thompson compete was in the 2019 NBA Finals, during which he tore his ACL. His Achilles injury came in November 2020, shortly after recovering from his ACL tear.

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Seeing women in hip-hop unite for any reason will always be something worth praising, and that was certainly the case a few days ago when Megan Thee Stallion hosted a “Midnight Brunch” event that saw a handful of her fellow sisters in rhyme pop up.

Actually, one guest in attendance happened to be rap’s Queen Bee herself, Lil Kim, and the two exhibited nothing but love for one another while toasting the night away. 

Image: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET  

You can tell by Meg’s stellar performance at this year’s BET Awards recently (seen above) that she’s been heavily influenced by Lil Kim in her own successful rap career. Thankfully for the culture, we didn’t have another “Bees VS. Barbz” situation on our hands or have to expect the second coming of “Shether” when it comes to Kim & Meg. “Real Hot Girl Shit,” the Hard Core rap pioneer said of her night riding the boat alongside Thee Stallion, further adding that the event was, “So much fun!!”

Meg added similar sentiments on her page, posting a similar range of pics while using her caption to thank everyone that pulled up to her midnight brunch. The guest list in attendance included, but wasn’t limited to in the least bit, pop diva on the rise Chloe Bailey, fellow femcees City Girls, actresses Naturi Naughton and Taraji P. Henson, music icon Busta Rhymes, hip-hop trio Migos and Meg’s boyfriend and fellow rapper Pardison Fontaine. 

Whether or not this friendship finds its way into the studio for a proper collaboration has yet to be confirmed, but we’re willing to bet that something is in the works given their mutual love and respect for one another. Could you see Megan Thee Stallion and Lil Kim collaborating on a hit in the near future? Sound off with your thoughts down in the comments section after checking out their party pics below:

Bill Cosby spokesperson Andrew Wyatt says the comedian is considering embarking on a comedy tour, having been released from prison, earlier this week, after a controversial decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Cosby’s indecent assault conviction was overturned on the technicality that a prior prosecutor reached an agreement with Cosby that would have prevented him from being criminally charged in the case.

Wyatt told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the comedian has “been talking to a number of promoters and comedy club owners” and “is just excited the way the world is welcoming him back.”

Mark Makela / Getty Images

“A number of promoters have called. Comedy club owners have called. People want to see him,” Wyatt also told Inside Edition.

As for when Cosby could be expected to hit the stage, Wyatt told Fox News that “he wants to get back on stage sooner or later.”

Cosby was released from prison on Wednesday after serving two years of a three-to-10-year sentence.

He called into WDAS 105.3 FM, on his first day out, to comment on the court’s decision.

“This is not just a Black thing,” Cosby said. “This is for all the people who have been imprisoned wrongfully regardless of race, color or creed. Because I met them in there — people who talked about what happened and what they did. And I know there are many liars out there, but hese people can’t get lawyers.”

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The act of forming an opinion in today’s political climate can be very tricky, especially if you’re one to tweet before you think. That was the unfortunate case for seasoned actress Phylicia Rashad recently when she was one of the first to show public support of Bill Cosby following his sudden release from prison a few days ago based on a technicality. 

Being that Cosby was charged and convicted of sexual assault, and accused of many many more that didn’t fall within the statute of limitations, it would make sense that showing support for his release would garner some pretty heavy backlash. Following call-outs from industry peers like fellow ’90s TV mom Janet Hubert and Howard University students wanting her fired as the school’s Dean of Fine Arts altogether, it’s now looking like Mrs. Huxtable is feeling the negative results of her reality quite profusely right about now. 

Image: Michael Abbott/Getty Images

The letter she sent to Howard students was somewhat of an extension to that apology tweet she sent out (seen above) soon after the now-deleted tweet that sparked all the backlash. Within the letter, she states amongst other things her plan to “participate in trainings” in order to become a stronger ally to survivors of sexual assault. 

Read the letter in full below:

“Dear Parents and Students,

This week, I tweeted a statement that caused so much hurt in so many people — both broadly and inside the Howard community. I offer my most sincere apology. I have since removed that upsetting tweet.

I am sorry. I intend to earn your trust and your forgiveness. 

My remarks were in no way directed towards survivors of sexual violence, find no excuse for such behavior, and I know that Howard University has a zero-tolerance policy toward interpersonal violence. 

The most important role I have ever played in my life is that of a mother to my children, who have taught me to live a life that nourishes, protects and encourages others. Though they are adults now, i still feel the primal instinct to protect them. This is the same feeling that I hold for Howard University and each of her students. As a dean in this revered and beloved institution, I am committed to this.

Over the next few weeks, I plan to engage in active listening and participate in trainings to not only reinforce University protocol and conduct, but also to learn how I can become a stronger ally to sexual assault survivors and everyone who has suffered at the hands of an abuser.

Thank you for voicing your concerns, for speaking your truth and for holding leaders accountable for our actions and words. 

Excellence in Truth and Service,

Phylicia Rashad
Dean of the College of Fine Arts”

Do you see this as a true change of heart, or is she just saving face to keep her prestigious university standing? Let us know your opinions down in the comments:

When Michael Jordan entered the NBA in 1984, Nike immediately got to work on his first signature sneaker. In the end, Nike came through with the Air Jordan 1, which was a unique high top that quickly became one of the most iconic sneakers of all time. Over the years, the shoe has seen numerous colorways and iterations, including the recent Air Jordan 1 Hi ’85 which is a nod to the original cut of the silhouette. While this version of the shoe has only seen a handful of models, it appears as though it will get at least one more in 2022.

According to @zsneakerheadz on Instagram, the “Georgetown” model will be coming out early next year. In the photoshop rendering below, you can see that this sneaker has a grey base encompassing the toe box as well as the side panels. From there, the overlays and the Nike swoosh are navy blue, which aligns perfectly with the official colors of the Georgetown basketball team. Needless to say, if you like the NCAA team, these are a must-cop.

As for the potential release date, these are supposed to drop sometime in February of next year for $200 USD although this is subject to change. With this in mind, keep it locked to HNHH for all of the latest updates from the sneaker world.