Hip Hop News

Pusha T Wants To Write A Children’s Book

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Rappers have been branching out into new and exciting endeavors, and while he’s easily one of the most acclaimed emcees in the game, it would appear that Pusha T has been setting his sights on an entirely different marketplace: the world of children’s literature. 

With his upcoming studio album on the way, produced in part by Kanye West and The Neptunes, Pusha took a moment to share his unrequited dream while engaging with radio host Matt Kolsky on Twitter. After Kolsky praised “Keys Open Doors” as being a low-key educational song, Pusha seemed to appreciate the compliment.

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“Thanx and I’ve been trying to write a children’s book for years,” he reveals, before delivering the ugly truth of the matter. “They won’t publish me…” Alas, it would appear that his subject matter has effectively rendered him undesirable in the kid’s book market, though many offered the alternative solution of self-publishing. 

We can only hope that Pusha genuinely considers pursuing all avenues to make his unexpected ambition a reality, as he would certainly bring an interesting perspective and voice to your local bookstore’s children’s section. Perhaps he’ll continue to work on making this one a reality — should that be the case, we’ll be sure to keep you posted on Pusha T’s authorial ambitions. 

Do you think Pusha T should self-publish the children’s book he’s been working on?

Akon’s Range Rover Recovered After Being Stolen From Atlanta Gas Station: Report

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Grand theft auto is an unfortunate predicament for all those involved, especially if the culprit is eventually reprimanded. This became a nightmarish reality for Akon on Monday night (May 25) when his car was stolen in Atlanta while he was pumping gas. Fortunately for him, authorities have been able to recover the vehicle. 

The theft took place late at night at a Quicktrip gas station in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta when the singer left the keys in the ignition of his white Range Rover. According to local news outlets, while he was gone, someone jumped into the driver’s seat and took off.

 
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“He stated that when his tank was almost full he noticed his white Range Rover … pulling off while he was still pumping his gas,” the police report examined. “Shortly after, you can see the suspect get out of the passenger seat of what looks to be a black four-door BMW sedan, get into the driver’s seat of the victim’s vehicle, and drive off with the black BMW following right behind.”

Police confirmed what Akon had described he witnessed with surveillance footage. According to authorities, a dark-colored sedan pulled into the gas station and parked alongside his Range Rover at 11:37 p.m. Akon later saw the suspect drive his Rover out of the gas station with the sedan following close behind. 

“It only takes a second for someone to jump in your vehicle and take off,” the Atlanta Police Department’s Capt. Graham explained. The music mogul was able to work with officers to track the vehicle through Atlanta since his phone was still in the SUV. The truck was eventually tracked to an area near Atlanta early Tuesday morning and recovered. 

Officers are still searching for the suspects involved. Back in January, Ludacris was the victim of a similar situation when he left his car running during an ATM transaction. Law enforcement was also able to track the car and recover it.

To say luck was on Akon’s side is an understatement. 

[via]

Drake Threw A Dinner Party On The 50 Yard Line At SoFi Stadium After Winning Artist Of The Decade

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Drake’s well-known for his displays of wealth, which have ranged from ostentatious to borderline ridiculous over the years. However, after receiving a Billboard Artist of the Decade Award at the Billboard Music Awards this weekend, he certainly had a good enough excuse for his latest over-the-top expenditure. According to Variety, Drake rented out the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California so he could have dinner on the 50-yard line with his OVO crew. The recently opened stadium normally seats 70,000, but for Drake’s dinner party, the attendance was limited to a guest list that included DJ Khaled, Doja Cat, SZA, and The Weeknd.

E! News reported that a source said, “He rented the entire stadium for the night. The stadium has a gigantic banner with his name and ‘Artist of the Decade.’… There are huge champagne towers and several bars set up throughout the stadium. Drake also has cute album books featuring his favorite moments through his career set up around the stadium.”

It’s likely Drake went all-out to make up for prior missed opportunities to do so; as he noted in his acceptance speech, which he gave with his son Adonis by his side, “I’ve spent an incalculable amount of hours trying to analyze all the things I did wrong. I’m really self-conscious about my music, and even if I do a good job, I always wonder how I could have done it better. I rarely celebrate anything. And just for anyone watching this, that’s wondering how this happened, that’s really the answer: being so unsure how you’re getting it done that you just kind of keep going in the hopes of figuring out the formula. But tonight, for once, I’m sure as hell we did something right.”

All 12 Of J. Cole’s ‘The Off-Season’ Songs Are In ‘Billboard’s Hot 100 Top 40

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We already knew that J. Cole’s new album The Off-Season was going to dominate the Billboard charts but now that the charts have been published today, we can get a sense of just how dominant his latest effort really is. Yesterday, Billboard tweeted its usual snippets of information, telling us that The Off-Season was No.1 on the albums chart and that Cole had four songs in the top ten of the Hot 100 and in the top five of the most-streamed songs charts.

Today, with the charts released in full, we’ve learned that all 12 songs from J. Cole’s album have charted in the Hot 100 Top 40, an accomplishment that makes him the first since Juice WRLD’s posthumous album Legends Never Die also landed 12 songs in the Top 40 the week of its release. While it was previously reported that “My Life,” “Amari,” “Pride Is The Devil,” and “95 South” had debuted in the top 10 (at No. 2, 5, 7, and 8, respectively), we now know where the remaining tracks from the album fall: “Applying Pressure” is No.13, “100 Mil” is No.14, “Interlude” (which previously debuted at No.8) is No.17, “Let Go My Hand” is No.19, “Punchin’ The Clock” is No.20, “The Climb Back” returned to the chart with a new peak at No. 25, “Hunger On The Hillside” is No.28, and “Close” is No.33.

Master P Can Now Be Dr. P Thanks To Receiving An Honorary Doctorate Degree

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Master P is a rapper, producer, actor, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, but he can now add one more qualifier to his title: Doctor. In order to recognize all of Master P’s accomplishments, Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University has awarded him an honorary doctorate degree.

Master P received the degree on stage over the weekend to a crowd of over 400 graduates from Lincoln University. “I guess I got to change my name to, Dr. P. Miller,” he wrote alongside a video of him receiving the honor. “From the projects to getting a Doctoral degree from @lincolnuniversityofpa Don’t be afraid to change, grow and educate yourself. I did it ! You can do it. #GODISGOOD #Nevertoolate #hbcu #NoLimit There is NO limit to your dreams.” The clip shows the crowd erupting in applause and Master P offering up some of his wisdom to recent graduates.

Ahead of being given a doctorate degree, Master P has been working on a number of entrepreneurial endeavors. Earlier this year, Master P announced plans to launch a Black-owned supercar company under the brand name Trion Supercars. The line of cars is made in partnership with Richard Patterson, a former engineer at Tesla, and the company’s first design was unveiled in January.

Watch Master P accept his honorary doctorate degree from Lincoln University above.

Fabolous + Emily B Remind The World They’re In Love-Love

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New York rapper Fabolous and his queen Emily B want to make sure folks realize there’s zip-zero chance of them ever splitting apart. The hip-hop pair have shared a friendly reminder to the world of their lifelong relationship goals together. Fabolous + Emily B Remind Everyone They’re In Love Fab went to his Instagram page […]

The post Fabolous + Emily B Remind The World They’re In Love-Love appeared first on SOHH.com.

Karlie Redd’s Ex Mo Fayne Denied Jail Release, Feds Say He’s A “Menace:” Report

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Unfortunately for Mo Fayne, it seems like his legal troubles are far from over. Best known for his stint on Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta as the fiancé and eventual ex-husband of Karlie Redd, he has since made a name for himself for various money-laundering and fraud-related situations. 

He pled guilty this month in connection with a PPP loan fraud case after he was arrested last May on $2 worth of bank fraud charges. In exchange for the guilty plea, federal prosecutors dropped 14 other charges and shaved his recommended prison sentence down to about 12.5 years. As we reported, his defense team was working to get him released. According to TMZ, however, it ended up being a royal failure. 

The former reality TV star had a hearing on Monday (May 24)  in Georgia where prosecutors argued he should remain behind bars until sentencing for the federal fraud case he’s already pleaded guilty to. Prosecutors argue that one, long before being arrested, he had already been searching for ways to escape prosecution by Googling which countries he could flee to without fear of being extradited. 

They also argued that he’s an established fraudster who discussed scamming other people. They referred to him as a menace and a danger to the general public. The judge agreed with the feds regarding Fayne’s search history, as well as allegations that he’s bragged to a witness about not having to spend a single day in jail. 


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He’s been locked up since December for violating the terms of his bond after allegedly contacting a potential witness in the case. He’s set to be sentenced in September. As usual, we’ll keep you updated. 

Bankroll Freddie Seemingly Confirms Reports He Was Shot

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Arkansas rapper Bankroll Freddie has been on the come-up in recent months, signing with Quality Control Music, releasing celebrated videos for “Add It Up” and “Pop It” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, and receiving a profile in XXL‘s “The Break” column. However, the trap rapper has perhaps kept it too real as he rises to fame (see his “Last Real Trap Rapper” video above), as reports and rumors recently surfaced that he’d been shot. While the sources themselves were somewhat dubious — among them VladTV and SayCheeseTV — Freddie himself seemed to confirm the reports on social media.

Reposting a well-wisher’s screenshot of one outlet’s headline, Freddie’s post seemed to verify the original post’s content. Meanwhile, a separate video on the story was captioned “I’m good” as Freddie leaned back to show a wound on his chin, although it’s unclear whether this is the reported gunshot wound.

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While getting shot sucks, it’s a doubly inopportune moment for him, as he’s just about a month past the release of his debut project for Quality Control, Big Bank. Released in early April, the mixtape is a star-studded affair that includes appearances from major stars like 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, and Young Dolph, as well as fellow rising artists Big30 and EST Gee. As far as breakout projects go, Big Bank is as close to a star-making vehicle as it gets, so hopefully, Freddie can recover soon and get back to promoting his music on Instagram rather than showing off scars.

You can see Freddie’s response and his video for “Last Real Trap Rapper” above.

Doja Cat, HER, Charlie Puth, And More Sign On To The New Sustainable NFT Marketplace OneOf

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The rise of NFTs in the music industry has been rapid over the past several months, with seemingly every big artist breaking into the cryptocurrency art market. But the prevalence of NFTs have also caused some backlash among fans who have noted the massive amount of energy it takes to use cryptocurrency. But a new NFT marketplace aims to offer an environmentally-friendly option, and artists like Doja Cat, H.E.R., and Charlie Puth have already signed on.

OneOf is an NFT marketplace aimed specifically at musicians and their fans. The platform uses Tezos blockchain, which they claim in press materials uses “over 2 million times less energy than other networks such as Ethereum, and requires the same energy as sending out a tweet.” Along with reducing energy consumption, OneOf has committed to donating a percentage of their platform’s revenue from every sale to charity.

Doja Cat has already signed on to be one of the first artists to mint an NFT on OneOf’s platform. “I cannot wait to release my first Juicy Drops collection,” she said in a statement. “However, I want to be mindful of environmental concerns and accessibility to all of my fans before we go live. Happy to now be working with OneOf who is addressing both of these issues.”

This isn’t the first time Doja Cat will be minting NFTs. Back in April, the singer launched her first collection of NFTs through her own curated NFT marketplace, Juicy Drops. The cryptoart was designed by toy designer BOOMTRONIC and was inspired by her 2021 Grammys performance.

Along with Doja Cat, H.E.R., and Charlie Puth, other artists that have signed onto OneOf’s platform include Quincy Jones, John Legend, TLC, Jacob Collier, G-Eazy, AURORA, The Kid LAROI, and Alesso. It was co-founded in partnership with Quincy Jones and Quincy Jones Productions, and raised over $63 million in funding so far.

OneOf officially launches to the public in June. Find out more information here.

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

Erica Mena Files For Divorce After Safaree Allegedly Gets Caught Cheating On Video

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After pretending to have gotten divorced last year before admitting that they were clout-chasing, Erica Mena has officially filed for divorce from Safaree Samuels according to TMZ. She is presently expecting the couple’s second child together. 

This news comes after a video surfaced on social media, showing Safaree allegedly dancing intimately with another woman at the club. It’s unclear if the video was filmed recently but it might have been the final straw for Erica. 

The Love & Hip Hop star filed for divorce after telling fans that she has no interest in getting pregnant again. “It’s not easy doing it alone,” she explained. Many of their fans began to speculate on what had happened between Safaree and Erica, also noticing that both of them had deleted their recent photos together. Safaree also deleted his Mother’s Day post for Erica.

The legal documents were obtained by TMZ, claiming that Erica is filing for primary physical custody of their daughter Safire, who is one year old. She also wants child support and exclusive use of their current home. 

Considering the couple has aired out much of their dirty laundry on reality television, do you think their divorce might play out on the small screen too?

[via]