Hip Hop News

Tensions are increasing in the drug war in Mexico. According to the Associated Press, the Jalisco cartel has viciously responded to the Mexican government’s “hugs, not bullets” policy with absolute defiance. Members of the cartel have reportedly kidnapped several members of a major police force in the state of Guanajuato and tortured them until they received the personal information of other members of the force, including their names and home addresses.

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The Jalisco cartel’s attack of law enforcement is a direct response to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s laws and policies to dodge any sort of conflict with the cartels. However, it’s the use of the Tactical Group task force which has angered leaders of the cartel who say they are being unfairly targeted. 

The recent kidnappings of law enforcement officials have resulted in cartel members going to the homes of officers and murdering them in front of their families. 

A banner that hangs in front of a building in Guanajuato since May issued a warning to the government in the ongoing conflict. “If you want war, you’ll get a war. We have already shown that we know where you are. We are coming for all of you,” the banner reads. “For each member of our firm (CJNG) that you arrest, we are going to kill two of your Tacticals, wherever they are, at their homes, in their patrol vehicles.”

A news outlet in Guaranjuato said that at least seven police officers have been murdered since the beginning of the year on their days off. However, an exact number of victims has yet to be confirmed. 

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Drake is bulking up and getting ready for the summer. After promising a new album at the start of the year, Drake experienced a serious setback after tearing a ligament in his knee. The rapper kept fans updated following his reparative surgery, pushing back his album release in order to work on his recovery and rehabilitation. 

He appears to be feeling a lot better these days, popping up in several gym selfies per month on social media. As the world waits on more information pertaining to the release of Certified Lover Boy, Drake returned with yet another picture of himself after a boxing workout, flicking up in the mirror and showing off his six-pack abs. 

The rapper posted the photo on Instagram Stories, flaunting his chiseled physique before giving fans an intimate view of what he was listening to during his training. Sharing a screenshot of himself bumping the new Mach-Hommy album, Drake showed love to the underground, celebrating the Westside Gunn-produced project.

Drake recently re-entered album mode when he posted a “tracklist” for Certified Lover Boy, which was drawn over by the rapper’s son Adonis. The picture was discussed at length on social media, with some fans teasing the three-year-old’s art skills. You can read more about that here.

How is Drake looking? Do you have your summer body yet? Time is ticking!

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As a member of Hollywood’s elite, an unfortunate reality for many starlets is the constant pressure placed on them to maintain a certain look. Lizzo has been the subject of numerous internet trolls poking fun of her weight, most recently being the target of comments from Jillian Michaels. Raven-Symoné has been considerably vocal in the past regarding her struggles with her body image.

The actress recently took to Instagram to update fans on how she has been losing weight on her own terms, sharing her amazing progress and her sheer excitement. “Pounds Down (Ear update),” penned the 35-year-old star of Raven’s Home in the caption of a video recorded in her car over Memorial Day Weekend with her wife Miranda Pearman-Maday. 

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She continued, “Just sayin hi! Info about the pounds down journey/ear piercing/and moving.” In the video, Raven-Symoné updated her 2.4 million followers on her new curly hair routine and ear-piercing before moving on to the exciting weight loss news. 

“On another note, pounds down, pounds down!” she announces. “Check out the chin, babe. You see that chin?” she says, pointing to her new jawline. 

“If y’all watch ‘Raven’s Home’ literally right now and then come on this Live and see this joint, I got a whole different face going on,” she says as her wife nods in agreement. “It’s a whole pounds down journey,” she continues.

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“Just so you guys know, I am 28 pounds down,” she adds as she and Pearman-Maday cheer. “You’re incredible, honey, you’re doing so good,” encouraged Pearman-Maday.

The former The Cosby Show actress then shares she’s currently doing a 48-hour fast. “So we’re on that journey right now,” she explains, furthering that she and Pearman-Maday will be sharing their exercise journey on YouTube very soon. 

Congrats to Raven-Symoné!

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It’s been an interesting road for Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though Tom Holland’s Spidey certainly played a pivotal role in films like Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Homecoming, and Far From Home, his future was always clouded by the fact that Sony owns the film rights to the beloved superhero. Evidently, the upcoming No Way Home is among the final films of their previously-struck shared deal. 

Luckily, both Marvel and Sony appear game to work together, a development appropriate to the comic-book genre. In fact, a new report from Variety confirms that Sony plans to connect their own Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters with Marvel’s vast and expansive Cinematic Universe. “There actually is a plan,” reveals Sony executive Sanford Panitch. “I think now maybe it’s getting a little more clear for people where we’re headed and I think when No Way Home comes out, even more will be revealed.”

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“The great thing is we have this very excellent relationship with Kevin [Feige],” he continues. “There’s an incredible sandbox there to play with. We want those MCU movies to be absolutely huge, because that’s great for us and our Marvel characters, and I think that’s the same thing on their side… There’s lots of opportunities, I think, that are going to happen.” 

Speaking of opportunities, it should be noted that Spider-Man isn’t the only character with crossover potential. Sony has also brought Venom, as portrayed by Tom Hardy, into the fold — it’s not entirely far-fetched to see the symbiote integrated into the MCU somehow. Likewise for the upcoming Morbius, as portrayed by Jared Leto, which drops later in 2022. In 2023, Sony intends on introducing Kraven The Hunter, as portrayed by Aaron Taylor Johnson. Perhaps each of these fan-favorite antiheroes has a future in the MCU — can you imagine Morbius facing off against Blade? 

Stay tuned for future developments on Spider-Man, the MCU, and more. Do you think the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters has potential?

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41 year-old actress Ellie Kemper, known for her role in the sitcom The Office and and a lead role in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, found herself in Twitter trouble this Memorial Day for her alleged involvement in a historically racist ball and beauty pageant. Pictures that have circulated twitter include an article written about the event with the headline: “Freshman, 19, at Princeton U. is now Veiled Prophet queen,” where she was named the “Queen of Love and Beauty.”

The “Veiled Prophet Ball” is a St. Louis ball with reported generational ties to white supremacy groups like the KKK, and are self-described as “meant to reinforce the values of the elite on the working class of the city.” The tradition was established in 1878 by a Confederate cavalryman and has continued to exist as a secret and exclusive society. Pictures from the events show participants in exaggerated robes and cloaks. 

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As the news was breaking, Kemper received a wide range of reactions from fans and Twitter users. Many were shocked that the actress would participate in such an event considering her bubbly and gracious personality on and off screen. Others were more critical, dubbing her the “KKK Princess” while comparing how rich white family’s across the nation are able to reinforce racism and power through such ceremonies.

Fans of the actress, however, were quick to bring up her lead role in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which saw Kemper playing a woman escaping the racist indoctrination of her past. One fan writes: “It really is something that Ellie Kemper was the star of a tv show about a woman who leaves a racist cult and tries to rebrand herself while pretending it never happened.”

Though there has been no response from Kemper yet, the internet is full of details and commentary sure to hold you down until this history is addressed.

Check out some of the reactions below.

A$AP Rocky is readying his new album All Smiles. Speaking to GQ in a recent cover story, he explained how he recruited The Smiths frontman Morrissey to help write, produce and contribute vocals to the new production. He further explained in the conversation how his current beau Rihanna has influenced his new material. 

As fans await the album, the Harlem native has been spotted parading about with the “love of his life” Rih and making other venture-related moves, like joining the NFT game, and most recently, becoming an investor in Klarna. As part of his investment, the rapper will take on the role of the company’s CEO for a day, it announced Tuesday (June 1). 

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“ASAP Rocky defies categorization; a musician, actor, philanthropist, an opinion leader in style, and fundamentally someone who understands what the public wants from so many vantage points,” Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Klarna co-founder and CEO, said in a press release.

He continued, “He challenges the status quo each day. As the consumer experience in retail now demands discovery, curation and sustainability, we at Klarna have a lot to learn from him. Besides, after sixteen years since founding Klarna, I think I deserve a day off.”

As part of his brief duties as CEO, the fashion killa will “renounce the global fashion hibernation” that occurred in 2020 while inviting folks to  “rediscover the joy of getting dressed.” In support of this goal, Rocky will curate exclusive content on the Klarna app focusing on vintage fashion and upcycling. 

In addition, he will also pledge one percent of his investment to the Miti Alliance in Kenya, which works towards slowing the impact of deforestation-propelled climate change. 

Christopher Jue/Getty Images for MARQUEE Singapore

“Klarna is a company that looks ahead and challenges the status quo, which makes partnering with them so appealing to me,” Rocky said Tuesday. “I’m excited to begin working with Klarna in a number of ways, including jointly creating a space for people to rediscover style as we emerge from a global fashion hibernation.”

Klarna and other buy-now-pay-later services have experienced a huge surge in demand in part due to the pandemic, so the investment was a major W on Rocky’s part. The company was reported to be close to securing a new round of funding valued at more than $40 billion. 

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After the H7N9 virus took the lives of 616 people after it exploded in 2013, H10N3, a different strain of the bird flu, has claimed its first infection ever recorded in a human. On April 28th, a 41-year-old man from the city of Zhenjiang checked himself into the hospital with fever-like symptoms. Now, over a month later, the NHC, or China’s National Health Commission, confirmed that the new bird flu is the culprit. This comes after the H5N8 strain of the bird flu claimed its first human host in Russia in February.

Though the man remains in stable condition and his close contacts haven’t reported any symptoms, that hasn’t dampened concern from the international community weary of another public health crisis. Still, the NHC is steadfast in the low-risk posed by the new strain of bird flu: “The risk of large-scale spread is extremely low.”

In response to the H7N9 outbreak eight years ago, the COVID-19 international pandemic still raging, and this first human case of bird flu, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has advised stronger surveillance of poultry farms, markets, and wild birds. Just last week, President Biden called for renewed efforts to investigate 2020’s COVID-19.

Sickness and viruses have made the past two years incredibly tumultuous and traumatic, though those worried shouldn’t lose sleep over this seemingly non-transmittable flu. 

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These days, Murder Inc’s reputation tends to vary depending on who is asked, though the label’s early millennium run and Ja Rule’s commercial dominance remain undeniable. And to think, it all began with the release of Ja Rule’s solo debut album Venni Vetti Vicci, released twenty-two years ago to this day. Boasting classic tunes like “Holla Holla” and the JAY-Z & DMX-assisted “It’s Murda,” the project is widely regarded as a classic and Ja Rule’s arguable best.

In honor of the album’s anniversary, Ja took to Twitter to share a few jovial words in celebration. “Before ANY rapper did ANYTHING, Ja Rule did EVERYTHING,” writes Ja, sharing the album cover and channeling Soulja Boy for good measure. “HAPPY G’DAY Venni Vetti Vecci!!!”

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Ja’s longtime right-hand man Irv Gotti, who handled the bulk of production on the album, also shared a few words on his Instagram page. “@jarule announced to the world ITS MURDAAA!” captions Gotti. “22 Years Ago on This Day. And me and my brother been repping it ever since.”

“To all my loyal Murder Inc People,” he continues, teasing the Inc’s next move. “We not stopping. @rikwoodz is coming. And She is Repping them M’s for her Young Generation. Heartbreaker Murder Remix with Rule coming this week. And the shit is HOT. So I’m gonna put on Venni Vetti Vecci. Classic Album today. Then I’m gonna blast that Remix. And Smile. Cause me and Rule created something so Dope. And we still repping. For us when we said ITS MURDA 4 LIFE. WE MEANT THAT SHIT.”

Clearly, Gotti’s enthusiasm for the Murder Inc movement hasn’t faded in the slightest. Happy anniversary to Venni Vetti Vecci — do you still revisit this album from time to time?