Hip Hop News

Over these past few seasons, it feels like no team has struggled as much as the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite having a plethora of talented players, this T-Wolves team has not been able to secure big wins, and it always seems like they are in the bottom half of their conference. Last season, the team got the first overall pick as a result of their failures, and still, the team finds itself at the bottom of the Western Conference this year.

This has been a stressful time for star player Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been through a lot over the past year. There have been rumors that he might want out of Minnesota, although while speaking reporter Chris Hine, Towns re-iterated that he is committed to the T-Wolves and has no intentions of leaving. 

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“If you want to build a legacy we got to win. And I want to build my legacy here so I want to win with the Wolves, and I’m going to do everything I possibly can to keep step-by-step, brick-by-brick, building something and a culture here that’s going to stand here for a long time,” Towns said.

Towns appears to be ready for the long haul here, although as many fans know when it comes to the NBA, sentiments can pretty well change on a dime. If the Timberwolves continue this trajectory, it will be interesting to see if Towns has a change of heart.

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Though he’s only been in the rap game for a few short years, Cordae has already undergone a key alteration to his moniker. Having originally arrived sporting the fancy title of “YBN Cordae,” an association that aligned him with fellow rising artists Nahmir and Almighty Jay, it wasn’t long before the more lyrically-inclined emcee began to separate himself from the pack. Following the release of his acclaimed debut The Lost Boy, not to mention the disbanding of his formative crew, Cordae took the initiative and dropped the YBN altogether.

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As tends to be the case on the internet, some interpreted Cordae’s decision as disrespectful, despite the fact that neither Nahmir nor Almighty Jay felt any type of way about the soft rebrand. In fact, Nahmir has remained loyal to his former groupmate, as evidenced by a recent interview on VLAD TV. After admitting he was “pissed” when The Lost Boy didn’t win Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards, he opens up about Cordae’s decision to move in a different direction. 

“I was on the phone with him two days before,” reflects Nahmir. “He really didn’t say it to the fullest, but I understood exactly what he was saying. I didn’t expect him to do it, but he did it. And I was like ‘that’s the right choice that you had to make.’ It’s for the right reasons. I can’t get mad at him, but I let my emotions get the best of me when I went on Twitter. We all did it, but in that situation, I put it on the internet, and that’s where I fucked up. When you put it on the internet, it ruins the whole image of everything.”

“At the end of the day we’re all brothers,” continues Nahmir. “If he needs anything, I got him. If I need anything, he got me.” Given that Nahmir played a key role in expanding Cordae’s audience in the early stages of his career, it’s no surprise to hear their still bond runs deep. Nahmir likens the situation to people simply growing apart, as happens often with high-school and workplace friends; that’s not to say the love and respect fades away, but the paths diverge all the same. “The people I got around me, even if they’re not around twenty-four-seven, they got the best intentions for me.” 

Check out Nahmir’s full interview with DJ Vlad below. 

6ix9ine is looking to release new music and as a result, he has been making the rounds on social media by pissing everyone off. The artist has particularly gone after Chicago artists like Lil Durk, Lil Reese, and 600Breezy, as he continues to disrespect those who have passed away. He has been called out quite a bit for his disrespect although it’s clear that he doesn’t really care.

Now, 6ix9ine is showing off a brand new piece of jewelry which he copped for $1 million. The piece is fairly massive and has a Takashi Murakami-type vibe to it. 6ix9ine was pretty hyped about it and made sure to rub his wealth in the faces of those who oppose him.

“1,000,000 DOLLARS ON A CHAIN. BEST CHAIN IN THE FUCKING GAME ‼️‼️‼️ MY CHAIN COST MORE THEN YOUR WHOLE CHAIN PIECE AND WATCH ‼️‼️‼️ LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YOU KNOE WHO RUN THE CITYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY,” 6ix9ine wrote.

The artist decided to go out and show off his piece in public as he could be seen in public, standing up shirtless out in the open. Of course, 6ix9ine opted to take an antagonistic approach here as mocked his haters in the caption.

“UNTOUCHED ‼️‼️‼️‼️ OUTSIDEEEEEEEEE ‼️‼️‼️ STOP LETTING THE INTERNET LIE TO YOUUUUUUUUUU ‼️‼️‼️‼️ THESE N****S AINT LIKE THAT,” 6ix9ine wrote.

At this point, the artist is playing a very dangerous game although that has always been his MO. With new music on the horizon, it’s safe to say he will continue to go on with these antics.

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Azealia Banks is getting married. The outspoken New York-based rapper announced her engagement to artist Ryder Ripps on Monday morning.

“I just got engaged k*nts. I’m crying,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m Jewish now. MAZEL TOV B*TCHES! WE IN HERE…. YERRRRRRR.”

Azealia’s fiancé Ryder Ripps is a conceptual artist from New York. He’s worked with Grimes, James Blake, Miley Cyrus, and others. He has also worked with Azealia’s enemy Kanye West as part of his Donda group, working with him as the creative director of the first annual Pornhub Awards. He also provided creative direction and design for Pop Smoke’s Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon album cover, working with the rapper’s mother on the final design.

The two seemingly started dating a few weeks ago when Azealia referred to them as a “power couple” at the beginning of this month. She has been teasing her new song, suggestively titled “Big D*ck Ryder”, on Instagram with pictures of her fiancé.

Azealia showed off her engagement ring, which has a menorah on it. Given her caption, she will seemingly be converting to Judaism as part of her marriage to Ryder Ripps.

Congratulations to Azealia and Ryder on their exciting new announcement.

Daft Punk is one of the most legendary acts in the history of music. The French duo formed all the way back in 1993, and since that time, they have completely revolutionized the electronic music genre. From working with Kanye West to The Weeknd, Daft Punk excited music fans and always found a way to deliver classic albums and live performances. Underneath their futuristic robot masks, they were able to maintain a special level of anonymity, that made their music that much more intriguing.

Shockingly, the duo announced their official split today with a video posted to their website called “Epilogue.” In order to make this announcement, they posted a clip from their movie called Electroma in which one member blows themself up. In the video, “1993-2021” is displayed on the screen, which tells you the group is no more. 

Pitchfork was able to confirm this news via Kathryn Frazier, who was the publicist for the group. This breakup is a massive announcement that has saddened numerous fans who were expecting the group to drop another album. Their last effort was 2013’s Random Access Memories and there were rumors they had something new in the works.

Regardless, Daft Punk will forever remain a legendary group and their contributions to music will forever be remembered.

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There’s a reason that Jay-Z won the race to become hip-hop’s first billionaire, beating out the likes of his fellow competitors Dr. Dre and Diddy to secure the prestigious title. Though his “business…man” lyric has become quoted to the point of parody, the sentiment holds true. Few rappers hold such a keen mind for entrepreneurial endeavors as the Jigga Man. Case in point, the legendary rapper has officially signed a new deal with Moët Hennessy, which would grant the wine and spirit company a fifty-percent ownership stake in Jay’s champagne Armand de Brignac, also known as “Ace Of Spades.”

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In an announcement tweet from Roc Nation, the nature of the deal is revealed. “Shawn JAY-Z Carter is pleased to announce a partnership with Moët Hennessy as they acquire a 50% stake in Armand de Brignac,” it reads. The partnership reflects a shared vision between Moët Hennessy and Shawn JAY-Z Carter for the future of this iconic Maison.” The link provided sheds further light on the partnership, detailing Jay’s intention to immortalize Armand De Brignac as an iconic staple in the world of luxury spirits. 

In a statement revealed via press release, Jay-Z opened up about his decision to strike a fifty-fifty deal, citing Moët’s existing credibility and enduring brand power. “We are confident that the sheer power of the Moët Hennessy global distribution framework, its unparalleled portfolio strength and its long-established track record of excellence in developing luxury brands will give Armand de Brignac the commercial power it needs to grow and flourish even further,” he explains.

Philippe Schaus, President & CEO of Moët Hennessy, also shared a few words on the partnership. “We are going into this partnership on equal terms together with JAY-Z and his family and with the same conviction that we are only at the beginning of a wonderful story,” he states. “Together, we will lay a strong path forward to firmly cement Armand de Brignac as a luxury icon for current and future generations of customers.”

Check out the full press release, as shared in a Roc Nation tweet, below. 

Cam Newton was going viral on TikTok yesterday as the star quarterback was in Myrtle Beach for a special 7 on 7 tournament. Newton was there to cheer on the teams and also sponsor one of the entries, although it turned a bit south when one of the players started heckling him. The teenager told him that he was “ass” and that he couldn’t even get signed, which led to a light confrontation in which Newton called the kid spoiled.

Many praised Newton for the way he handled the situation, while others were upset that a teenager thought he could speak that way. In fact, Jseth Owens, the teen behind the video, came out with an apology as he felt like the video misrepresented him. Owens claims it was just his competitive spirit at work, and that he is deeply sorry for all of it.

“I did not intend for it to get as far as it did!” Owens said. “As a football player, I let my competitive side get the best of me & it was a huge miscommunication. It was in the midst of the moment & I realize now how a lot of you took it as disrespect.”

Newton made his own statement about the ordeal, and as he noted, the whole thing is behind him and amends have been made. Needless to say, it’s better to just not criticize an NFL superstar, in such a public way because very few people will be on your side.

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