Hip Hop News

This Saturday marks Juneteenth, a cultural holiday that celebrates the ending of slavery in the United States. As all eyes are on President Joe Biden to sign a Juneteenth bill and create the first new federal holiday in decades, other public figures, businesses, and corporations are making their own efforts to bring awareness to the holiday.

According to the Associated Press, Disney will celebrate Juneteenth and honor Black lives by releasing the Music for the Movement Volume III – Liberated, the third installment in Disney Music Group and The Undefeated’s series of social justice-focused EPs. Celebrities such as Yara Shahidi and Chloe Bailey of Chloe x Halle are set to appear on the forthcoming EP, and Cordae will reportedly be joining forces with Common on a track titled “What’s Life” for the project. 

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Furthermore, Cordae has revealed that he plans to direct all of his proceeds from Music for the Movement Volume III to help fund scholarships for students from underrepresented communities who are hoping to attend HBCUs. According to the Associated Press, both the Disney Dreamers Academy and The Undefeated have responded to Cordae’s decision by publicly matching his donations.

“So many people need the money more than I do. I feel as though when you’re in such a blessed position, it’s important to pay that forward to be a blessing to others. It’s especially important to me to invest in our youth and the future,” Cordae announces in a statement.

“Young people are the future of our society and the world,” the former YBN artist continues, “so we must do all we can to ensure they are properly positioned to succeed. If I can spark the brain of a few future world leaders and geniuses, I’ll die a happy man.”

Disney’s Music for the Movement Volume III EP will arrive on Friday, so if you’re feeling Cordae’s new philanthropic effort, be sure to stream his contribution to the project, “What’s Life.” 

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Even in Youngboy Never Broke Again’s absence from the rap game, his fans have remained as loud as ever on social media. It isn’t uncommon to see fans of the Baton Rouge rapper posted up in any major hip-hop account’s comments section, boasting to other fanbases that Youngboy is “better” than their respective favorites. They’re likely one of the biggest troll bases on the internet and they’ll do anything to promote the 21-year-old rapper’s music. 

During a recent Polo G live stream on Instagram, the Chicago rapper celebrated his Hall Of Fame album release when a barrage of Youngboy trolls swarmed the comments with “ratio” remarks and “Youngboy better” nonsense. The rapper was confused about the action in his comments, remarking such and vocalizing his reaction.

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“YB better…” he said, quoting a comment he noticed on the screen. “Y’all come up with a whole new language, I swear to god. And I don’t even be understanding that shit. That’s not some shit I say on the day-to-day. I’m not finna talk to my homie and say ‘ratio.’ What the fuck do that even mean?”

Clearly, Polo G isn’t in tune with meme culture. “Ratio” has been around for a few years with trolls antagonizing original posters and trying to stack up more likes or retweets than them, hence the ratio. As for the “YB better” comments, those are just passionate fans who will do anything to shout their love for the rapper from the rooftops.

What do you think of the trollery in the comments sections?

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Kanye West has built a billion-dollar empire with his Yeezy brand, which has been introducing new colorways of their classic footwear designs all year. With some new silhouettes — like the Foam Runners — attracting all kinds of national attention, the upcoming Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Mono Pack” will bring an all-new twist to the clean sneaker that we’ve sought after for years. With a three-pack releasing on June 18, eBay has got you covered if you struck out on all three, bringing you some of the best prices on the resale market.

eBay has its very own Authenticity Guarantee, so you can rest assured that all pairs have been thoroughly inspected by third-party authenticators. Each shoe is verified before it’s shipped out to buyers, ensuring that you don’t end up with any knockoff kicks. If you’re a seller, you’re also getting a great deal because eBay makes things especially easy with no seller fees on shoes over $100 USD.

The “Mono Pack” gives sneakerheads three chances to pick up some new heat in “Clay,” “Mist,” and “Ice.” Considering these will only be available in certain parts of the world — “Clay” will be sold in Asia, “Ice” will hit North America, and “Mist” is reserved for Europe — eBay will be the perfect place to add these to your collection come Friday.

Stay tuned for more information on the release of the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Mono Pack.” If you miss out on the general drop, you can be sure that you’ll be able to find a pair on eBay, regardless of what size you are. 

Image via adidas

Image via adidas

Image via adidas

On Wednesday, XXL unveiled the 2021 Freshman Class, a self-proclaimed “Out of this World” group that included Pooh Shiesty, Coi Leray, 42 Dugg, Rubi Rose, DDG, Blxst, Flo Milli, Lakeyah, Murray, Iann Dior, and Toosii. While the cover didn’t exactly break the internet, it did prompt plenty of hilarious, confused, and disappointed reactions on Twitter.

So far, many Hip-Hop fans have been critical of the artists featured on the latest XXL Freshman Cover, and several others have also gone the “what if?” route and argued that other artists deserved to make the cut this year. One of the names that were brought up in the discussion was King Von, who definitely would have been a strong candidate for the Freshman Cover had he not been tragically killed in Atlanta last November.

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To some people — like rising artist Fredo Bang — Von’s passing shouldn’t have prevented him from making the 2021 XXL Freshman list. After a quick post-and-delete in which he claimed artists had resorted to paying for XXL spots, the “Top” rapper hit Twitter again to give his props to the late King Von.

“Its More Crazy that @KingVonFrmdaWic anit make the list & had one of the biggest albums last year,” Fredo Bang says.

In the past, we’ve seen artists like Chief Keef get an honorary spot due to being in jail, but XXL has yet to give a posthumous Freshman title to an artist, regardless if they were deserving of the spot prior to their passing. After the untimely deaths of Pop Smoke and King Von, do you think that XXL should start giving posthumous Freshman nods? 

Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum have to be fuming after it was announced that neither of them was selected for the All-NBA team. Both players were set to earn an additional $33 million payday on top of their salaries for making the team, which they were expected to do. However, because only fifteen players have a chance at earning the prestigious award, they narrowly missed the cut and, as a result, lost out on a major pay bonus.

According to a report from CBS Sports, Tatum and Mitchell had to say goodbye to millions of dollars after their names were not called during the awards ceremony. All of the players that earned the honors, including Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Rudy Gobert, and more, all got pretty hefty bonuses in their checking accounts this week. Every man on the list had an incredible season, so it must have been a very close call to snub Mitchell and Tatum, but a $33 million penalty for this is kind of insane. 

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Both Tatum and Mitchell are on rookie extension contracts, which included a $33 million bonus if they were selected to an All-NBA team. Of course, this isn’t too big of an issue considering both players are multi-millionaires already, but the money definitely would have been a nice reward for an incredible season.

Do you think the voting system is flawed for the All-NBA teams?

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June is Black Music Month, and it appears that Atlanta Hip-Hop legend Big Boi has really gotten into the month-long celebration this year. Months ahead of the 25th anniversary of he and André 3000’s 1996 album ATLiens, the OutKast member has officially become an Airbnb host. Although news of Big Boi chasing another bag may not sound like a big deal, it is because Daddy Fat Sax is inviting Airbnb guests into The Dungeon, the Atlanta home studio where he and André 3000 wrote and produced much of OutKast’s early work.

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While it almost seems too crazy to be true, Airbnb users will have the chance to live like a member of the Dungeon Family, as Big Boi will be hosting three overnight stays at The Dungeon throughout the summer on June 29, July 1, and July 3. Plus, to honor the 25th anniversary of ATLiens, the bookies will reportedly only be $25.

In the “About This Space” section of The Dungeon’s Airbnb listing, Big Boi’s description reads:

The Dungeon is where André 3000 and I spent countless hours writing songs and producing beats that became Outkast’s early albums. Atlanta taught me the power of community, so in celebration of Black Music Month, I’m inviting fans into the home where Southern hip hop was born. Step inside my newly remixed house, where you’ll find a fresh take on the place where hip hop history was made. You and a guest will live like music royalty for one night in a space designed to celebrate all of The Dungeon Family’s successes.

According to TMZ, anyone in the United States can test their luck and try to book an overnight stay at The Dungeon, and winners who live within 30 miles of Atlanta will even a bonus — transportation to and from the house in an Escalade. Furthermore, Airbnb will make its collaboration with Big Boi even more special by reportedly making a donation to the Atlanta Public Schools Music Department to expand resources and increase access to music education for K-12 students.

Booking for the three overnight stays will open on Friday, June 25 at 1:00 pm EST, so good luck to all of the OutKast fans hoping to book the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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