Hip Hop News

30 year-old Rita Ora and 45 year-old Taika Waititi have been rumored to be seeing each other since the end of winter, however a brand new photograph of the duo embracing each other, alongside actress Tessa Thompson, has sparked newfound interest in their relationship.  

Ora, who once dated Robert Kardashian, has had an eventful year after throwing an illegal birthday party in January that broke local COVID-19 protocols. Ora is now rebuilding her image whilst filming a new season of The Voice in Australia.

The photo, reportedly taken at Waititi’s home in Australia, shows the women on either side of the director kissing as Waititi rests his arms on both of them. Other photographs show them in similarly intimate positions. 

Tessa Thompson and Taika Waititi at Comic-Con in 2019 – Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images 

Waititi and Thompson are in the country shooting the new installment of Marvel’s Thor series, Thor: Love and Thunder, which Waititi is directing and Thompson is returning to star as Valkyrie. 

Ora came out as bisexual in 2018 in her song “Girls”, featuring other prominent women like Charli XCX and Cardi B. Thompson came out as bisexual that same year, although she is known for keeping her love life private.

Rumors initially began about Ora and Waititi’s relationship in April, when Ora posted a picture of the two embracing each other on Instagram. It seems the trio has been in close contact for the past few weeks, as Tessa Thompson was included in the same IG photo gallery, though without Waititi. 

Waititi ended his seven year marriage with Chelsea Winstanley in 2018.

The mother of four and ex-wife of famed basketball player Scottie Pippen, Larsa Pippen, announced her partnership with the content subscription service, OnlyFans, Monday night, to her 2 million followers. This fresh start comes after a tumultuous 2021 that found Pippen accused of separating NBA star Malik Beasley from his family with influencer Montana Yao. In December, it was reported that Yao divorced the 24-year old basketball player after her and her children were kicked out of their house by Beasley. Though their fling reportedly only lasted four months, Yao has taken to Instagram to throw shade at Pippen and Beasley has been left crawling back to Yao. 

However, Pippen seems to be leaving the drama behind her for better things. “Every woman can love and live on her own terms,” she captioned the announcement of her partnership with OnlyFans. 

This seems to be a slight against Yao and others who have been critical of her controversial relationships with high-profile men. Yao took to Instagram last Monday to clap back at Pippen’s involvement in her husband’s life and threaten Pippen with “you really need to be put in check” for allegedly trying to reconcile with Beasley. That same night, however, Beasley publicly apologized for the lack of loyalty he showed his ex-wife. 

This isn’t the first time the Real Housewives of Miami star is in the romantic hotseat. In 2015, Pippen was subject to wild speculation after her short-lived romance with rapper Future.

In the announcement, Pippen seems to be taking a more conservative approach to the app by posting tasteful portraits of her bikini and lingerie wardrobe as well as informative exercise videos. She caps off the announcement by encouraging younger generations of women to believe in themselves, stating: “I want to show women all over the world no matter where they are in life they can be sexy and successful.”

Though some are excited by Pippen’s newfound positivity, others are critical that the announcement is only a way for Pippen to capitalize off of her recent attention. Although, after this announcement, those looking for an extension of this drama should stay tuned to Pippen’s Instagram.

Check out Larsa’s OnlyFans announcement below, and let us know if you’ll be subscribing.

KXNG Crooked’s Twitter page is among the best sources for hip-hop discussions with fellow “rap connoisseurs,” and while topics are generally well-rounded, many fans are especially keen on his Eminem takes. Unsurprising, given his friendship with the legendary emcee, which culminated in collaborations like “I Will” and interviews on “Crook’s Corner.”

Today, Crook took a moment to share his top ten favorite Eminem songs of all time, a list that included a few intriguing selections from some of his recent albums. It should be noted that he did not specify whether or not the songs were listed in order, but we’re looking at:

The Way I Am
Til I Collapse
Stan
Nail In The Coffin
Bad Meets Evil
I Just Don’t Give A Fuck
Lose Yourself
No Regrets
Bitch Please II
Not Alike
Honorable mentions – Cleaning Out My Closet – You Gon Learn

As you can see, Crook’s top Em tracks include three Marshall Mathers LP cuts, one Eminem Show cut (and one honorable mention), one Benzino diss track, one Kamikaze track, one Music To Be Murdered By track (and one honorable mention), one 8 Mile track, and two Slim Shady LP tracks. 

Shortly afterward, he pledged to keep the ranking process alive, confirming that he’d be doing Slaughterhouse, JAY-Z, 2Pac, and himself in the immediate future. At the time of this writing, Crook hasn’t yet gotten to his JAY, Pac, and personal list — though he did come through with his top fifteen favorite Slaughterhouse joints. They are, in no particular order:

Hammer Dance
Microphone
Move On
Goodbye
Truth or Truth
Cut You Loose
Offshore
Raindrops
I Ain’t Bullshittin
The Warriors
Our House
Cuckoo
Interlude
Beamer Benz Bentley
Lyrical Murderers
HM-The Illest, Onslaught, Chopping Block

It would certainly be interesting to see his Slaughterhouse groupmates follow suit with their own personal favorites, as it might provide insight into the dynamics and preferences of the once-mighty lyrical quartet. Be sure to discuss Crook’s lists in the comments below, and look for him to continue the rap discussion over at his Twitter page, a must-follow for anybody interesting in talking and debating hip-hip culture. What do you think of his favorite Em and Slaughterhouse tracks?

J. Cole is fully aware that he can’t win over everyonein the world but he tries. The release of The Off-Season won over many of his naysayers but by the time the album was released, he had already put his energy into his first love: basketball. The rapper’s rollout for his latest album was accompanied by a cover on SLAM Magazine, an appearance on Kevin Durant’s podcast, and the curiosity of basketball and rap fans alike.

Jeff Hahne/Getty Images

Unfortunately, Cole’s presence in the Basketball Africa League isn’t necessarily receiving a warm welcome from other athletes in the league. AS Sale guard Terrell Stoglin shared his thoughts on Cole, deeming his presence as “disrespectful” to the players who’ve dedicated their blood, sweat, and tears in the league.

Rick Ross offered a bit of perspective following Stoglin’s comments. Live from the Bel-Air Towers, Rick Ross insinuated that Stoglin sounded like a hater.

“In no way is this meant to be disrespectful but first and foremost, should no Black man’s dreams be censored nor limited,” said Ross. “And comin’ from a brother, I think you would understand what building these types of relationships would do for the business. For the eyes on the industry, you know what I’m sayin’?”

Rich Fury/Getty Images 

Ross explained that the very fact that J. Cole is on the court brings value to the new league. “If your father owned the team, and he had to decide between you and Cole, I believe he would find it honorable if you stepped down and let J. Cole bring what he bringin’ to the industry,” Ross continued. “More importantly, brother, you should be there to support the brother. If he made one point on the first game, by the time he get to the 10th, you should make sure he makin’ six a game, you understand? If Cristiano Ronaldo bought the team, you would be there for the ribbon-cutting, brother.”

Peep Ross’ rant below. 

Blueface has been an interesting artist to watch. Upon first entering the game, many were caught off-guard by his honking delivery and endearingly off-beat flow; while such qualities might have ensured failure for most, his charisma and crafty mind for amusing punchlines gave Blueface more longevity than expected.

Now, the west coast rapper has once again found his name trending, though thankfully it’s not because of any shenanigans stemming from the notorious “Blueface Mansion.” Not long ago, he delivered a verse over a remix to OG Bobby Billions and Mo3’s emotional “Outside,” which surprised listeners for a variety of reasons. For one, Blueface was touching on some genuinely powerful subject matter, a sense of vulnerability not often associated with the mischievous rabble-rouser. And two — perhaps the more notable observation — he was actually rapping on the beat. 

Timothy Norris/WireImage/Getty Images

“I ain’t pray for these baguettes, I pray for better days,” he raps. “I ain’t pray for that new ’Vette, I’d rather have my dogs back/ Lord protect me with this Tec I ain’t pray for this Patek/ Remember the day I got the text/ Another fatherless child’/ Can’t act right ’cause they left him fatherless/No hood harder than fatherhood/ Who gon’ teach your son to go farther than father did, all these kids raising all these kids.” 

Many were quick to show their appreciation for Blueface’s verse on social media, leading to the rapper enjoying a brief spell as a trending topic. Though many seemed caught off guard by the rapper’s long-awaited discovery of the beat, fans were quick to point out that this isn’t exactly new territory for Bleedem, who has been steadily improving in the flow department. Check out some of the reactions below, and sound off if you’re enjoying Blueface’s new direction.