Hip Hop News

Issa Rae Reveals How Nipsey Hussle Helped Her & Lauren London Make Up

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Issa Rae has come quite a long way since the days of her Awkward Black Girl webseries. She’s enjoyed substantial critical success since then, going on to earn wider recognition as the co-creator, co-writer, and star of her Emmy-nominated series Insecure. While she announced the end of the popular series at the top of the year, she’s partnered with WarnerMedia and the City Girls to churn out even more culturally relevant content. 

Receiving her flowers, the acclaimed multi-hyphenate graced the cover of the June 2021 Vanity Fair issue. In the cover story interview for the issue, the Los Angeles-born actress touched on what she dubs “one of her biggest regrets,” revealing a time where she rubbed Lauren London the wrong way. 


Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows

Issa explains that she rubbed the actress the wrong way by mentioning in interviews and her memoir that a TV exec suggested London would be a nice fit to play the lead in a possible cable adaptation of Awkward Black Girl. 

“One of my biggest regrets, naming her,” said Issa. “She took offense to that.” She went on to reveal that the two eventually made peace two years ago at Diddy’s 50th birthday bash with help of London’s former partner Nipsey Hussle.

“He was like, ‘You should just talk to her. Let me set it up,’” she says. “It actually sparked an amazing two-hour conversation. We had so much in common. She was like, ‘People don’t understand, I’m an awkward Black girl.’ In the same way that I was upset about the limited portrayal of Black women, she was like, ‘People do the same thing to me.’ I completely get that.”

Elsewhere in the interview, she discussed the end of Insecure and how she had always planned for the show to be five seasons long. Read the full profile with Issa Rae here. 

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50 Cent Becomes Instant H-Town Hero

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50-Cent-Offers-Internships-Houston-High-Schoolers

Hip-hop mogul 50 Cent is settling in as a new Texan resident by giving back. The popular producer is working with Houston’s city officials to offer paid internships to the city’s high schoolers. 50 Cent Offers Paid Internships in Texas Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner made the big 50 Cent revelation about him donating thousands of […]

The post 50 Cent Becomes Instant H-Town Hero appeared first on SOHH.com.

YG & Mozzy Reveal Joint Project Tracklist Featuring G Herbo, Young M.A. & More

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Back in March, YG and Mozzy confirmed that they were cooking up a collaborative project. Mozzy’s manager DaveO broke the news of the upcoming joint effort from the West Coast duo, penning on Twitter, “This Mozzy YG Album Is Everything You Want It To Be!!”

At the time, very few details about the project were known and the rap pair remained pretty tight-lipped about the upcoming effort as well. After proving their musical chemistry on back-to-back singles, they finally announced Kommunity Service’s release date, album art, and tracklist. 

“Strictly for the streets,” remarked YG of the project. Set to arrive on Friday, May 21st, the announcement follows the release of the second single from the project “Perfect Timing” featuring Blxst. Other appearances on the forthcoming effort include G Herbo, Young M.A., Ty Dolla $ign, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Tyga, and more. 

On the title of the project, Mozzy explained, “Just doing our Kommunity Service. West Coast been closed so it’s time to turn it back up.” The cover art pays homage to DMX and offers a creative take on the nostalgic film Belly. Check out Kommunity Service’s tracklist below and let us know if you’re looking forward to checking it out. 
Tracklist:
1. Gangsta
2. Dangerous ft. G Herb
3. Bompton to Oak Park
4. MAD ft. Young M.A
5. Vibe With You ft. Ty Dolla $ign
6. Drop A Location ft. A Boogie wit da Hoodie
7. Toot It Up ft. Tyga
8. First 48 ft. D3szn, E Mozzy & Celly Ru
9. Bite Down
10. Perfect Timing ft. Blxst

T.I. And Tiny Respond To An LAPD Investigation Of Their Alleged Drugging And Sexual Assault

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In recent months, two more women have come forward and accused T.I. and his wife Tiny of sexual misconduct. The alleged incidents took place in 2005 and 2010, with both women accusing the couple of drugging and sexually assaulting them. Now, LAPD has launched an investigation into the reports and T.I. and Tiny’s lawyers have responded.

The New York Times first reported allegations of sexual assault back in late February, claiming lawyer Tyrone A. Blackburn represented eleven women who claim they’ve been victimized by the couple. The two additional women are also being represented by Blackburn, and according to Billboard and The Daily Beast, the attorney has successfully pressured the LAPD to open an investigation into the incident that allegedly took place in 2005. The accuser claims T.I. drugged her drink before she was taken to a hotel room and sexually assaulted after repeatedly refusing the couple’s advances.

Responding to the reports of LAPD’s investigation, T.I. and Tiny’s lawyer Steve Sadow issued a statement on behalf of the couple:

“The Harrises have not spoken to or been contacted by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the Las Vegas Police Department (LVPD) or, indeed, any member of law enforcement from any other jurisdiction in the country. Even assuming the story in the Daily Beast is close to accurate, it appears the LAPD ‘accuser’ has chosen once again to remain anonymous, thereby preventing us from being in a position to disprove or refute her allegations – or even examine them. Meanwhile, although we now appear for the first time to have the name of an ‘accuser’ who supposedly filed a police report with LVPD, we have absolutely zero details about her or her claim.”

Snoop Dogg Is Making Unscripted Series On The World’s Dumbest Criminals

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One thing that television needs is more Snoop Dogg. Following the success of Plizzanet Earth and his colorful commentary during recent boxing matches, it seems inevitable that he would find himself carrying even more hosting duties in the future. Per Deadline, Snoop Dogg is currently developing a series of Peacock focused on the world’s dumbest criminals. 


 Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Kevin Hart announced the news during NBCUniversal’s Upfronts presentation where he also revealed that he’d be teaming up with Snoop Dogg for a sports comedy news show. Both shows are reportedly in development for the streaming service.

The latest series are just a few of several television projects that Snoop Dogg is currently involved in. Not only is he a judge on The Voicebut he’s also set to appear in 50 Cent’s series on BMF. 

Snoop will also be bringing his own story to life but it won’t be in the form of a biopic. The legendary West Coast figure unveiled plans of an anthology series that will dive deep into his life including his family’s history.

“I want to take my time and make sure that I’ve put together the right infrastructure of how I became me — you know, the people that inspire me, my upbringing, my mother, my father, my friends, community influences, inspirations that shaped and molded me,” he explained. “I don’t see it being a biopic, because I can’t give all of this great information and entertainment in two hours.”

Joyner Lucas Stunts With Mark Wahlberg & Diddy In “Zim Zimma”

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Joyner Lucas is an artist who pours himself into every aspect of his craft, and as fans know, his videos have long been a point of pride for the acclaimed lyricist. Case in point, the new clip for “Zim Zimma,” a highlight off his recent project Evolution, which might actually be the rapper’s most ambitious video yet. It’s certainly among the most star-studded, boasting cameo appearances from Diddy, George Lopez, and Oscar-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg.

Clocking in at over eight minutes, there’s plenty of room for antics between Joyner and his pals. One particular segment stands as a highlight, during which Mark Wahlberg finds himself so drawn in by Joyner’s music that he ends up driving headlong into a pile of dirt, much to the rapper’s annoyance- you have to see it to believe it, really. As for Diddy’s cameo, he opts to keep it relatively low-key, holding it down in a miniature ride while Joyner spits dexterous, rapid-fire bars; though he doesn’t say much, his commanding presence speaks volumes.

Throw in a few hilarious outtakes for good measure, and Joyner Lucas’ new video for “Zim Zimma” is easily among his most enjoyable, despite its gargantuan runtime. Check it out for yourself now, and sound off if you’ve been keeping Joyner’s Evolution on steady rotation. 

HNHH Staff Picks Playlist: J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, & More

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It was a busy week for new music. The big dogs have officially woken up– most notably J. Cole and Nicki Minaj, who both ended their long musical hiatuses with high-profile releases on Friday. The real returned as J. Cole came through with his long-awaited new album The Off-Season, which has received AOTY (so far) praise all over social media. Nicki Minaj also returned with the re-release of her debut mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty, which included a few new songs featuring Drake, Lil Wayne, and more.

It seems as though some of the world’s favorite artists are picking up the slack, tuning up for an exciting summer on the release front. With J. Cole promising a couple more albums before he hangs up his microphone and Nicki Minaj also seemingly working on new music, the possibilities are endless as we wait for more heat to drop in the coming months.

As always, the HNHH staff mulled over all of the recent releases — including new singles from Internet Money, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Coi Leray, Rich Homie Quan, and more — to come through with a list of our favorite new records in the hip-hop and R&B world. You can check out our individual picks below. Let us know who you’re handing the AUX to. 

Be sure to also follow us on SoundCloud and TIDAL to catch the playlist before anyone else!

Alex Zidel (Editorial)

Pressa – Attachments (feat. Coi Leray)
Coi Leray – Bout Me
Nicki Minaj, Drake, & Lil Wayne – Seeing Green
YoungBoy Never Broke Again – White Teeth
Trippie Redd & Playboi Carti – Miss The Rage

Mitch Findlay (Editorial)

J. Cole – a m a r i
Young Nudy – Mini Me
Nicki Minaj, Drake, & Lil Wayne – Seeing Green
Young Nudy – Child’s Play (feat. 21 Savage)
J. Cole – a p p l y i n g . p r e s s u r e

Rose Lilah (Editorial)

J. Cole – a p p l y i n g . p r e s s u r e
Rich Homie Quan – To Be Worried
Jorja Smith – Home
Jenevieve – Eternal
JMSN – Rolling Stone

Erika Marie (Editorial)

J. Cole – a m a r i
Nicki Minaj, Drake, & Lil Wayne – Seeing Green
T-Pain & Kehlani – I Like Dat
Tobe Nwigwe – FYE FYE (feat. Fat Nwigwe)
Russ – STATUS

Joshua Robinson (Editorial)

J. Cole – c l o s e
Jorja Smith – Weekend
Internet Money, Don Toliver, Lil Uzi Vert, & Gunna – His & Hers
Nicki Minaj, Drake, & Lil Wayne – Seeing Green
T-Pain & Kehlani – I Like Dat

Madusa S. (Editorial)

Nicki Minaj, Drake, & Lil Wayne – Seeing Green
Nicki Minaj & Skillibeng – Crocodile Teeth (Remix)
Enchanting – Freaky Deaky (feat. Coi Leray)
Kodak Black – Basement on Fire
Larry June – Wait on Me

Cole Blake (Editorial)

J. Cole – a m a r i
J. Cole – a p p l y i n g . p r e s s u r e
Nicki Minaj & Ptaf – Boss Ass Bitch (Remix)
Nicki Minaj, Drake, & Lil Wayne – Seeing Green
21 Savage – Emergency (feat. Young Thug & Gunna)

Andrew Brown Jr. Shooting Video Released, D.A. Will Not Pursue Charges: Report

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At the tail end of last month, 42-year-old Andrew Brown Jr. was shot four times in the arm by officers and once in the head, killing him instantly. Residents of Elizabeth City, North Carolina and the rest of the country have since taken to the streets to call for justice for Brown Jr. After the incident, Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble claimed that Brown Jr. was threatening the officers involved prior to the shooting.

A narrative his family aggressively denies, their attorney previously claimed that the bodycam footage of the incident dispels these claims. Unfortunately for the family, the newly released bodycam footage of the incident has further justified Womble’s decision to not press charges in the “justified” shooting.


Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Released Tuesday (May 18), the body camera footage presents numerous officers pulling up to Brown Jr.’s home as he sits in his parked BMW. The video then shows officers hopping out of their car and aiming their weapons at Andrew’s car as they surround it, swearing at the victim. He then drives off as police unleash bullets on him.

Next, he drives over a lawn and crashes into a tree as police follow, continuing to surround him and yell commands at him. We will not be sharing the video here, but TMZ has footage of the moments the deadly confrontation occurred. Viewer discretion is heavily advised. 


Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Brown’s family explained the video last week, saying a cop fired a single shot at Brown before he began firing back in fear for his life. They add he never made any menacing actions towards officers, calling the killing unjustified. 

D.A. Andrew Womble presented the video at a press conference where he confirmed no charges would be filed because he sees the shooting as “justified,” adding there was an apparent risk to the officers’ lives that justified the use of the deadly force. 

We’ll keep you updated on how Brown Jr.’s family responds to this decision.

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