Hip Hop News

New Alleged Details On Kanye West & Irina Shayk’s Romance Emerge

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Kanye West split from his wife of seven years Kim Kardashian earlier this year. While rumors of their divorce began circulating long before the official announcement came, those reports weren’t confirmed until Kim officially filed for divorce from the Yeezy CEO. While they have parted ways, they seem to be dedicated to providing a healthy co-parenting environment for their four children and remain on good terms. 

While the reality TV star has been vocal about desiring to take a break from dating, Ye has allegedly already moved on. After spending a romantic getaway together in Europe for his birthday, the Yeezus artist and Irina Shayk have reportedly been confirmed as an item. A new source confirmed to Page Six that Ye had his eye on Shayk shortly after he and his estranged wife split up. 


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The source tells the publication that the rap mogul has been interested in dating Shayk for some time, actively pursing the model not long after his split with his influencer beau. “Kanye always had a thing for Irina, so she came to mind early on in his divorce from Kim. He decided to shoot his shot, and it worked,” the insider shared.

Although she’s getting involved in another romance, she’s making sure her 4-year-old daughter shared with ex Bradley Cooper remains her top priority. “Irina is a very hands-on mother and won’t let a new romance distract her from her daughter, so it’s perfect that things with Kanye are very casual and laid-back at the moment,” the source continues.

“They’re still getting acquainted, but the spark is definitely there, and Kanye likes where things are headed.” Neither Kanye nor Irina have commented on the rumors. 

As for how Kardashian feels about her ex’s new relationship, an insider told the publication, “Kim is fine with it,” an insider previously said of West’s new relationship. “She just wants him to be happy and healthy.”


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HER Says Some People Don’t Recognize Her Without Sunglasses: ‘I Feel Like Clark Kent’

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Before earning four Grammy Awards, over a dozen nominations, and an Oscar, HER has been perfecting her artistry since a very young age. Along with making a name for herself with her moving music, the singer is also known for her ever-present sunglasses. In fact, some people apparently don’t recognize her without them.

HER recently chatted with Variety for their cover interview. During the conversation, HER spoke about her decision to take on a moniker, sport shades, and appear only as a silhouette on the cover of her debut project:

“Honestly, the reason I wanted to be HER is because I felt people tended to focus on the looks of things instead of music — listening with their eyes and not their ears. It was a social media time of the whole package: ‘This is what an artist should be; this is what a woman should be.’ So when I first released music, I wanted to be a silhouette — these truthful stories were what I wanted to show, not me.”

The singer added that when she walks around her Brooklyn neighborhood, “people don’t recognize me without my glasses. Sometimes I feel like Clark Kent.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, HER described the ups-and-downs of starting her career at such a young age. “It was tough, honestly,” she said. “I would leave school for a few days every month or every other month to travel to New York, and I’d be doing independent study in the studio. There were a lot of sacrifices made, especially by my parents.”

But even with the sacrifices, HER always knew she was striving to make it big. “I’m thankful I was able to go to school, but honestly, I’d be sitting in class like, ‘I can’t wait to get back to New York and work toward my future,’” she added. “Everybody else was thinking about the weekend, but I was thinking about the next ten years.”

Check out HER’s full conversation with Variety here.

The XXL Freshman ’21 List Is A Perfect Barbershop Debate

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The XXL Freshman 2021 class has arrived after months of speculation and rumors. The stacked list of newcomers include everyone from female rap rookies Coi Leray and Rubi Rose to 1017 Records’ Pooh Shiesty. The XXL Freshman ’21 List Is Here Following mounted anticipation, XXL hit the green light on finally revealing the stacked line-up […]

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‘XXL’s 2021 Freshman List Includes Blxst, Coi Leray, DDG, And Pooh Shiesty

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The 2021 XXL Freshman cover has arrived! Each year, rap fans wait and speculate in anticipation to find out which artists made the coveted list, mostly so we can all speculate and wait on their activities for the future — or debate whether they deserved placement.

But this post is just to let our readers know who all made it. This year’s cover includes plenty of Uproxx favorites like Blxst, DDG, and Pooh Shiesty, as well as 2020 fan favorites like 42 Dugg, Flo Milli, and Toosii. There’s plenty of female representation on this year’s list, with Coi Leray, Lakeyah, and Rubi Rose holding it down for the ladies. And breakout artists Iann Dior and Morray round out the list after some attention-grabbing features introduced them to a whole new audience.

This year’s list looks pretty well-rounded, as the breakout artists included have all made impressive debuts, charted highly, or garnered plenty of viral attention in the past year. Many regions, races, and styles are represented, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, to South Central, Los Angeles, with many of the entries hailing from oft-overlooked origins when it comes to hip-hop such as Milwaukee, WI, Lexington, KY, and Corpus Christi, TX.

Last year’s cover included breakouts like Chika, Jack Harlow, Mulatto, and Rod Wave. And for those who didn’t make it, there’s always next year — or the chance for a surprise breakout.

Meanwhile, XXL is gearing up for the usual slate of Freshman programming, including freestyles, Cyphers, and profiles on these up-and-coming artists. Stay tuned.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Artists On The ‘Space Jam’ Soundtrack Show Their Hoop Skills In A Fun Reveal Video

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When the original Space Jam premiered in 1996 one of the elements that made it so iconic for kids of the era was its accompanying soundtrack, which is widely regarded as one of the best-produced film soundtracks of all time. Its eclectic collection of hip-hop, R&B, and pop artists was a hit, highlighting the increasing popularity of rap and its influence over the basketball world. So, naturally, for LeBron James’ sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy, the bar is rather high — both for the film itself and for its soundtrack, which will likely be instantly compared to its groundbreaking predecessor.

Today, exactly one month before the film’s release — the soundtrack drops one week before — Warner Bros. pictures introduced the soundtrack’s “starting lineup” with a fun reveal video showing which of today’s stars have earned placement on what will undoubtedly be one of the more listened to soundtracks of the year. The video also shows off each star’s relative level of hoop skills and let’s just say it’s a good thing LeBron has the Looney Tunes on his team because some of these passes are looking rough.

Of course, stars like 24kGoldn, Aminé, Anthony Ramos, Big Freedia, Brockhampton, Chance The Rapper, Cordae, Duckwrth, G-Eazy, John Legend, Jonas Brothers, Joyner Lucas, Kash Doll, Kirk Franklin, Leon Bridges, Lil Baby, Lil Tecca, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, P-Lo, Saint JHN, Salt-N-Pepa, Saweetie, Symba, and White Dave are here to rap or sing and not hoop — although Dame D.O.L.L.A. is in there, pulling double duty as he also plays one of the villainous Goon Squad players in the movie.

The New Legacy soundtrack is due 7/9 via Republic Records and WB Watertower Music. The film itself hits theaters 7/16.

Watch the reveal video above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

2021 XXL Freshman Class Revealed: Coi Leray, Pooh Shiesty, Rubi Rose, & More

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It’s officially time for the annual summer Hip-Hop tradition of seeing which new rising acts are given the stamp of approval by XXL. Yes, right on time for the summer, the 2021 XXL Freshman Class has finally been revealed. Some of the artists featured on this year’s freshman cover already have a Billboard chart-topping single under their belt, while others are just now breaking out onto the mainstream stage. Regardless, a case can be made for any of the eleven Hip-Hop artists who have made the cut and been crown the lastest XXL Freshmen.

For context, last year’s Freshman cover featured artists who would go on to become rap superstars, such as Polo G, Mulatto, Rod Wave, Jack Harlow, and several others. With such a stacked 2020 XXL Freshman Class, this year’s class of newcomers definitely has big shoes to fill, so without further ado, here are the 2021 XXL Freshmen.

Coi Leray, Pooh Shiesty, Murray, Iann Dior, Lakeyah, DDG, 42 Dugg, Blxst, Rubi Rose, Toosii, and Flo Milli have been named XXL’s 2021 Freshman Class, which the beloved Hip-Hop magazine describes as “out of this world.”

The reveal comes months after a rumored Freshman list leaked that featured many of the artists who made the cut for the official cover as well as other rumored freshmen, such as The Kid Laroi, Sheff G, EST Gee, and $NOT. When that list leaked in March, rising artists Asian Doll and Drakeo the Ruler publicity criticized XXL‘s list, and unfortunately, both artists didn’t make the final 2021 Freshman cover either.

Now that the Hip-Hop community finally knows who this year’s XXL Freshmen are, get ready for the freestyles, cyphers, and interviews that will be popping up over the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, check out XXL’s reveal video for this year’s Freshman class. 

 

What are your thoughts on this year’s XXL Freshman Class? Is it stronger or weaker than years past? Is there anyone who you think landed the cover that didn’t deserve it? And most importantly, who do you think is missing?

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Migos Executive Produce New YouTube Series On The History Of Diamonds

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There is no group icier than the Migos. So, it only made sense that they’d be executive producing a new series about diamonds for YouTube. The group launched a trailer for Ice Cold: The Untold Story Of Hip-Hop Jewelry, a four-episode YouTube Original that explores the history behind diamonds in connection to the hip-hop industry. “Told through the multi-faceted prism of jewelry, Ice Cold explores Hip Hop’s ability to reimagine and transcend established notions of wealth, status, and superiority,” a description for the series reads.


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The show will include an array of some of the entertainment world’s finest like Migos, Lil Yachty, A$AP Ferg, French Montana, Lil Baby, J. Balvin, City Girls, and more. The show dives not only into hip-hop’s connection to jewelry but also speaks to “deeper issues driving the passion for jewlery: racial inequality, access to the American Dream & the sheer resilience of hip-hop culture.”

“If you’re in America, you have to participate in capitalism. It’s where a lot of people who haven’t been able to build the same type of generational wealth as white people in this country. That’s where you could show that you’re a good capitalist, ‘Look how big and fly my chain is,'” Talib Kweli says in the trailer.

Ice Cold is set to launch on July 8th. Are you tuning into the Migos EP’d series?

Tyler, The Creator’s New ‘LUMBERJACK’ Has Fans Pumped

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Odd Future’s Tyler, the Creator has his day ones really jumping for joy. The hip-hop heavyweight has come through with an unexpected but very must-hear new “LUMBERJACK” single. Tyler, the Creator’s New ‘LUMBERJACK’ Is Awesome TTC hit up his social media pages to unload the record to the world. It’s way more than just a […]

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Lil Baby & Lil Durk Score Gold With DJ Khaled’s “Every Chance I Get”

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DJ Khaled unleashed his most recent project Khaled, Khaled at the end of April. Packed with a star-studded lineup of guest appearances including Lil Wayne, Lil Baby & Lil Durk, Cardi B, 21 Savage, Drake, and Roddy Ricch just to name a few, it was supported by its Drake-assisted dual lead singles “Popstar” and “Greece.” 

The project topped the Billboard 200 Albums Chart in May, spending six consecutive weeks in rotation from the top position. While the producer has found himself in some hot water on social media, he is continuing to score major wins from his latest collection. In a series of posts to his Instagram on Tuesday (June 15), Khaled celebrated earning some new RIAA certifications, including one for his Lil Durk and Lil Baby assisted track “Every Chance I Get.” 

“GOLD FOR YOUR DOME SONG OF THE YEAR #EVERYCHANCEIGET OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED GOLD @riaa_awards
@djkhaled @lilbaby @lildurk @taykeith @riaa_awards @wethebestmusic #KHALEDKHALED @riaa_awards #EVERYCHANCEIGET @riaa_awards SONG OF THE SUMMER AND YEAR THANK YOU ! FAN LUV KEEP GOING ! ANOTHER ONE !!!!!!,” wrote Khaled in the post littered with tons of celebratory hashtags and emojis. 

“Every Chance I Get” featuring Voice Of The Heroes artists Durk and Baby peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart last month. Khaled also showed off a multi-platinum plaque for “Pop Star,” and gold plaques for the entire album and Drizzy’s other standout “Greece.” 

“#POPSTAR 2x PLATINUM #GREECE GOLD #EVERYCHANCEIGET GOLD ? #KHALEDKHALED #1 ALBUM GOLD @wethebestmusic @epicrecords @rocnation @riaa_awards THE ALBUM WIT ALL HIT ANTHEMS! And the album wit the song of the year ! FANLUV THANK U ! Love you,” Khaled wrote in another post. 

Congrats to Lil Durk, Lil Baby, and DJ Khaled!

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