Hip Hop News

For the first time since Born Sinner, J. Cole has dropped a new album that actually has features, so rather than resurfacing the ongoing “platinum with no features” joke, the Hip-Hop community has been able to sit back and dissect the guest appearances tucked away on The Off-Season. One of them happens to belong to Lil Baby, and his verse on “p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l” has sparked fervor and debate amongst some of Hip-Hop’s leading artists and cultural commentators.

Early Friday morning, veteran music journalist Elliot Wilson posted a screenshot of one of Everyday Struggle co-host Wayno‘s tweets, which read, “Man months ago me & @cthagod were talking and I said we were in the ‘Lil Baby’ Era , I was saying Drake still got it but we entering his run. Nigga Had a Hard verse on Drake EP & On J.Cole album , yall gotta out some respect on that nigga name for real!”

Soon Elliott Wilson’s Instagram post became the grounds for a debate as to whether the Hip-Hop community has in fact entered the “Lil Baby Era.” Charlamagne the God quickly slid through to reaffirm his stance on the topic by commenting, “Lil Baby smoking everything @wayno119 they will figure it out later…..he floated on this Cole album.”

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Instagram

Charlamagne and Wayno’s sentiments were soon echoed by other music industry insiders, including Billboard Hip-Hop Editor Carl Lamarre and legendary producer Timbaland as well, but some of the most interesting comments actually came from Conway The Machine and DJ Sam Sneak. The La Maquina rapper offered a hot take for the debate, declaring that Hip-Hop is actually currently in the “Griselda Era.” Given the collective’s recent success over the past year, it’s hard to argue against Conway’s argument, especially considering that he, Westside Gunn, and Benny The Butcher have practically single-handedly rekindled Hip-Hop’s appreciation for bars.

Another intriguing tidbit found in the comment section of Elliot Wilson’s Instagram post came from Sam Sneak, who DJs for Rick Ross. Sneak also praises Lil Baby’s recent performances and even teases that a Rick Ross x Lil Baby collaboration may be on the way, saying, “He killed this track on r…nvm. But yea he been snapping.”

Everything considered, Lil Baby has so far had an insanely successful run in 2021 without even dropping a project, especially considering that he’s lent incredible features to both Drake and J. Cole’s most recent projects. For context, check out his guest verse on Cole’s The Off-Season standout track “p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l” below. 

Do you think that we’re officially in the “Lil Baby Era” or is Drake still running Hip-Hop?

New Balance is one of the premier brands in sportswear and the same can be said of BAPE when it comes to the streetwear world. These two brands are huge in their respective lanes, and now, they are teaming up for a dope new collection called “Apes Together Strong.” This collection features two new colorways of the New Balance 2002R, and it also features two pullover hoodies, three t-shirts, two full-zip hoodies, and two pairs of cargo shorts, which helps tie the collection together.

As you can see in some of the official photos below, the New Balance 2002R has two distinct offerings. The first is a more muted grey model which features some BAPE camo throughout. The other shoe is black with green BAPE camo and, of course, both shoes have the unique shark tooth motif on the back heel. As for the rest of the pieces, they all have distinct BAPE and New Balance features such as their respective logos and BAPE camo. Thanks to the more muted colors, these pieces are all extremely tasteful and will certainly get fans excited.

The collection will officially be released on June 5th in China and a North American release will follow suit, shortly after.

Image via BAPE

Image via BAPE

Image via BAPE

Image via BAPE

Image via BAPE

Ludacris and his wife, Eudoxie, have announced that they are expecting another child with separate posts on Instagram, Friday, while celebrating Eudoxie’s birthday.

“How is it YOUR Birthday & Your Giving Me The Greatest Gift? Joyeux Anniversaire Mrs. Bridges,” Ludacris wrote in a caption for a photo of his pregnant wife.

“Blessed year indeed,” wrote Eudoxie captioning the same photos.

Christopher Polk / Getty Images

Ludacris and Eudoxie married in 2014 and welcomed their first child in 2015.

This isn’t the first time the couple has expressed their love in matching posts on social media. In December 2020, both Ludacris and Eudoxie celebrated six years of marriage and joked about the key the happiness in a long-term relationship.

“What’s The Secret To 6 Years of Marriage & Counting? Make Sure She Gets an Over Abundance of ‘Vitamin D!’ Happy Anniversary Mrs Bridges. We Just Gettin Started!” Ludacris said in his post.

Eudoxie added in her own caption: “May we always celebrate each other. 6 years of marriage down but it’s always felt like we have been together in another life also. As imperfect as it is, it’s pretty perfect! Thank you for making it the easiest and best decision of my life. I LOVE our LOVE”

Conway The Machine has made it abundantly clear that it’s the Griselda era, and last night, he came through to hold it down with a performance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. Bringing J.I.D and Ludacris along for the ride, the trifecta delivered a performance of La Maquina’s “Scatter Brain,” an inter-generational banger that currently stands as one of the year’s hardest tracks yet. 

After an introduction from noted hip-hop head Jimmy Fallon, who deserves his credit for bringing some of the rap game’s unsung heroes into the spotlight, the performance kicks off. Taking place on an eerie set littered with staticky television sets and menacing barbed wire, perhaps foreshadowing the vibes of the upcoming music video, all three parties showcase their talents in a live environment.

 Prince Williams/Wireimage/Getty Images

As is always the case during televised performances such as this, part of the fun comes from observing the ways they handle the swear words, and overall, Conway, J.I.D, and Ludacris do an admirable job at whipping up an effective clean version that barely breaks the immersion. It’s a welcome display of chemistry from an unexpected trifecta, and we can only hope this isn’t the last time they unite for a collaboration.

“Last night was mad real,” captions Conway, reflecting on the performance on his Instagram page. “GOD is the greatest.” J.I.D echoed the sentiment, adding “Thank you to the homie @whoisconway for putting this together, big love to @ludacris this shit was monumental to me, much love to @fallontonight for having us.” Check out the performance below, and be sure to stay tuned for the upcoming music video for “Scatter Brain,” set to arrive in the near future. Do you think Conway, J.I.D, and Luda delivered one of the best songs of the year so far?

When Pusha T came out with “The Story Of Adidon” during the summer of 2018, the hip-hop world was left in a state of shock. It was during this song that many learned for the very first time that Drake had a son. The song also revealed who the child’s mother was and as you can imagine, Drake was left disrespected. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the song, however, is that it alluded to the fact that Drake had signed to Adidas after a long relationship with Nike.

Of course, Drake is still with Nike right now, which left some fans wondering if Pusha’s song stopped the deal from going through. On an episode of the Complex Sneakers Podcast, former Adidas executive Jon Wexler revealed that rumors of Drake’s deal were exaggerated and that while meetings had gone down with Kanye, nothing was set in stone. In fact, Adidas was aware of Drake’s intentions to stay with Nike well before Pusha’s track even came out.

Paul Morigi/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

“Kanye was at the front-end of all of that. I think they were recording and some stuff together. They [Kanye West and Drake] were exploring stuff with Adidas but I don’t think things were as far along as the blogs were presenting it,” Wexler said. “There were a lot of rumors flying around but it just didn’t come together. Some people grew up with what they grew up with and that’s what it is.” […] “By the time that song came out, it was pretty clear that that was already not gonna happen.”

These are definitely some interesting revelations and when you consider how they came from an industry insider, you can’t help but feel like this whole saga has been resolved.

John Phillips/Getty Images

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H.E.R. says she was nearly in a band with Kehlani and Zendaya when she was younger. The R&B singer spoke with OZY founder Carlos Watson of The Carlos Watson Show, ahead of her appearance at OZY Fest, this weekend.

Reflecting on growing up performing in the Bay Area as a young child, she revealed the star-studded group that could have been.

Pool / Getty Images

“Dylan Wiggins – who is D’wayne Wiggins’s son from Tony! Toni! Toné! – we used to be in a band together. We used to perform together when we were really young,” H.E.R. said in the interview. “Kehlani was actually in our band. We all used to sing together. Zendaya was going to be in it at one point. They all grew up together. I came into the picture in Oakland and we used to perform together.”

H.E.R. will be hosting the “How Music Moves Mountains” conservation at this weekend’s festival.

Other performers at OZY Fest will include Chance the Rapper, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Condoleezza Rice, Mark Cuban, Malcolm Gladwell, Sevyn Streeter, Tig Notaro, Big Freedia. Jim Cramer, Rev. Al Sharpton, Deepak Chopra, and Rep. Maxine Waters, and many others.

Kehlani has a new song out with T-Pain, “I Like Dat” that you can find here.

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