Hip Hop News

Triller Exec Accuses Dana White Of Trying To Recruit Jake Paul

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Dana White has made his distaste for Jake Paul quite clear. Ever since Paul started trying to fight UFC guys, White has been steadily slandering the man and saying that he would never work with him. This hasn’t discouraged Paul, however, as he continues to make fun of White in the media and even demanded that the UFC President start paying his fighters fairly.

Now, however, a bombshell has been dropped by the head of Triller, Ryan Kavanaugh. In a new report from Bloody Elbow, Kavanaugh accused of White of trying to recruit Paul, saying that the UFC President has actually sent Paul offers to step inside of the Octagon. These comments came amid Kavanaugh’s frustration with White over a botched Georges St-Pierre and Oscar De La Hoya fight.

Jake Paul

Al Bello/Getty Images for Triller

“And he’s trying to get Jake Paul to fight for the UFC now? Making him offers? Just hurting his own people and chasing ours,” Kavanaugh stated. As of right now, there is no proof of these offers and based on Paul’s comments over the past year, it seems like he is much more comfortable in the world of boxing.

Regardless, these accusations are quite interesting and we can only imagine what it would be like to see Paul in the Octagon.

Jake Paul

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Earthgang’s Remix Of Drake’s ‘Lemon Pepper Freestyle’ Explains Why Their ‘Ghetto Gods’ Album Is Delayed

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This fall will mark two years since Earthgang dropped their debut album, Mirrorland. If the Atlanta rap duo had it their way, Earthgang’s sophomore album, titled Ghetto Gods, would already be in the hands of their awaiting supporters. Unfortunately for everyone involved, a bit more patience will need to be exercised, but in the meantime, supporters of the rap duo can enjoy Earthgang’s remix of Drake and Rick Ross’ “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” which they released on Saturday.

Wowgr8 and Johnny Venus depart from their usual soulful spirits as the former dives deep into introspection while the latter reflects on the past years of his life. Venus’ verse seemingly addresses the delayed album.

“Release date is what I’m waiting on / Interscope gotta crunch the numbers,” he raps. “This industry is flooded with mindless muddles cause lies sell / The ugly truth might not bring in the money / Don’t they know it’s real sh*t the people want? / A pause from the pill-pop subscription joint.”

Back in February, the rappers revealed the project would arrive the same day as J. Cole’s next full-length effort. That turned out to be Cole’s The Off-Season which dropped on Friday. That day came and went, however, without Earthgang’s new album. As a result, they opted to share their “truth” through the new freestyle “for those asking why Ghetto Gods didn’t drop.”

You can press play on the remix in the video above.

Joe Budden Apologizes To Rory

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It’s been an eventful week in the world of Joe Budden. This week’s episode of The Joe Budden Podcast offered an implosive look into what’s been happening behind the scenes as tensions grew between Budden and his two co-hosts, Rory and Mal. Joe fired Rory in a fiery rant where he downplayed his co-hosts contributions to the show.


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“Since Rory feels like he has so many options here, somehow he still feels like he’s running the show. He feels like he’s entitled to more,” he said. “Rory, you are in breach of your contract. And from this point forward, you are fired, and you are not welcome back.”

We heard from both Rory and Mal on Twitter shortly after the clip went viral. However, it seems that even Joe has taken some sort of accountability for the way he handled the situation. In fact, he offered an apology to Rory on the latest episode of the show. “Seeing all of this feedback and all this — I do need to apologize to Rory, as well. Maybe Rory and Mal, too, but definitely Rory,” Joe said before reflecting that “things sound a lot spicier in the go-out.”

Joe said that he didn’t feel like what he said was off-putting while recording the episode and suggested he was shocked by the traction of that particular clip. He said that he initially asked for that part to be edited out of the final cut. 

“Ever since that last pod, I’ve just been having like pictures in my head of every moment that me and the guys have ever had together,” he continued with a maniacal laugh. “When I say I didn’t ask you to do shit for me — ’cause I don’t ask y’all to do shit for me but that’s a man thing to me. You just don’t ask men too much shit but when I said I didn’t ask you to do something, it don’t mean I’m not appreciative. It don’t mean I’m not grateful. It just means I never asked.”


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He continued, “When do you say that and not sound like a dickhead?” He admitted that regardless of his intentions, it was wrong for him to address Rory with such a tone. He explained that it stems from a deep-rooted issue with authority. 

“I don’t want that to affect people I love which is why I’m going to apologize to Rory because me and Rory have so many fly n***a moments together. Like, fly, friend type of vibey — like, it’s unfortunate that they might not feel that we’re so friendly today and it’s unfortunate that I can’t tell you how we got here, maybe aside from — if I’m taking accountability — poor leadership skills,” he said. 


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Later on in the episode, Joe invites his therapist for a conversation as they discuss accountability, trust, and more. 

What are your thoughts on Joe’s apology? Do you think that he can repair his relationship with Rory and Mal in the future? Check out the latest episode below. Joe talks issues with Rory around the 55:45 mark. 

Kobe Bryant Inducted Into Basketball Hall Of Fame Today: How To Watch

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Kobe Bryant is one of the best players to ever step on a basketball court and today, he will be receiving the highest honor in basketball as he will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. There are so many incredible players who have made it to the Hall of Fame, and on Saturday, Kobe will be inducted alongside some of the best players in his era, including the likes of Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

On Friday night, there was a ceremony where rings and jackets were given out to the inductees. Vanessa and Natalia Bryant accepted the pieces on behalf of Kobe and on Saturday, his family is gearing up for an emotional main ceremony. 

In fact, if you plan on watching the Hall of Fame induction, you will be able to do so on ESPN. The ceremony officially starts at 5:30 PM EST and Michael Jordan will be the one to introduce Kobe into the Hall. From there, Vanessa will be giving the acceptance speech, and we’re sure it is going to bring about a few tears amongst fans.

While Bryant won’t be here to witness the ceremony, we’re sure he would have been proud of all that he’s accomplished.

Kobe BRyant

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Dana White Reportedly Ruined Massive GSP Vs. Oscar De La Hoya Fight

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Dana White’s disdain for UFC and boxing crossovers has been evident over the last few years. While he allowed Conor McGregor to fight Floyd Mayweather in 2017, he has quickly changed his tune on allowing his fighters to get in the ring. For example, various UFC fighters have expressed interest in fighting against Jake Paul, however, White says that he will never work with the Paul brothers, which ultimately puts his own fighters in a tough spot.

Now, it is being reported by Bloody Elbow that White ruined a massive opportunity for one of the UFC’s biggest former stars. Georges St-Pierre and Oscar De La Hoya were actually going to fight in a massive boxing match on Triller. St-Pierre would have received a whole lot of money from the fight, however, White reportedly put a stop to it.

Georges St-Pierre

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“This f—k nut (Dana White) kept Georges St-Pierre from making the biggest payday with me,” De La Hoya said on Instagram last week. De La Hoya’s comments were backed up by Triller head Ryan Kavanaugh who says White has been toying with Triller and won’t even return their phone calls. “I’ve tried to call and text Dana at least five times to make it work for both parties, not even the courtesy of a return call,” he said.

If you’re a GSP fan, this is certainly bad news as fans have been wondering when they would get to see him fight again. A match against someone like De La Hoya would bring in a ton of eyes, and now, we probably won’t ever get to see it.

Needless to say, White’s business philosophy has come as a hindrance to some of his biggest and best stars.

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Nicki Minaj Addressed Recent Drug Rumors On Instagram And Denied Ever Using Cocaine

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Nicki Minaj went more than a year without dropping new music before she made her grand return on Friday. The Pink Friday rapper should absolutely be given grace for her time off, as it included the birth of her first child and the tragic death of her father. Nonetheless, Minaj stepped back into the music world by adding her beloved mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty, to streaming services with three new songs which included “Fractions” and “Seeing Green” with Lil Wayne and Drake.

Shortly after the release, however, Minaj was forced to hop on Instagram Live and address rumors that were floating around her. The rumors insinuated that Minaj was using drugs, specifically cocaine. During the livestream, she made it very clear that she has never used cocaine in her life.

“I don’t know if it’s just me, but I wouldn’t be embarrassed about any f*ckin drugs I did, that’s why I talk about the motherf*ckin drugs I do in my motherf*ckin music,” she said. “Always have, always f*ckin will. If I’m off em, I’m off em [child], but I want to make this clear so open everybody’s ears, clear your ears out. I have never, ever in my life with my hands on Jesus Christ, and y’all know how I feel about my Lord and savior. Never in my life, ever, not even once sniffed coke. ever.”

Minaj then explained why she felt it was necessary to address the rumors.

“I have a lot of friends, or acquaintances in the industry who do coke,” she added. “I don’t judge them for it but I’ve never tried it, never wanted to, never asked them to. Especially in the fashion world, that’s so common and normal, but yes.

“That’s the thing, when people used to lie about me I never used to clear my name and there was someone who took a major step and told that lie to people,” she continued. “And I never addressed it because I thought it was too ridiculous at the time to address but something just told me to now.”

You can watch a clip from the livestream above.

Beam Me Up Scotty is out now via Republic Records. Get it here.

LeBron James Finally Set To Return Ahead Of NBA Playoffs

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This season has been a rollercoaster for the Los Angeles Lakers. They started off the season as one of the best teams in the NBA and they looked poised to repeat as champions. Unfortunately, things quickly devolved for the team as Anthony Davis and LeBron James both got injured at inopportune times. As a result of these injuries, the Lakers have been tanking in the standings and if they don’t win their final two games, they could be forced into a play-in situation.

LeBron returned to the roster a couple of weeks ago although after tweaking his ankle, he opted to sit out for a bit longer. Now, according to ESPN, LeBron is officially returning to the lineup on Saturday, where he will be taking on the Indiana Pacers in what should prove to be a pivotal game.

LeBron james

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If the Lakers are forced into the play-in round, they will have to go up against the Golden State Warriors. If they can’t beat the Warriors, then they will go and play a weaker team in a second-chance scenario. It’s certainly not ideal for this Lakers team, especially as it means they will get a strong opponent in the first round.

Despite this, a healthy Lakers team is extremely dangerous and it’s clear that LeBron and AD are motivated to go back-to-back.

LeBron James

Harry How/Getty Images

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Kodak Black Lights The Booth On “Basement On Fire”

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Over the past few months since Kodak Black was released from prison, the rapper’s continued to drop loose singles as fans anticipate the follow-up to Bill Israel. Yak shared a few singles, including a recent collaboration with Pooh Shiesty, before unveiling his new body of work, Haitian Boy Kodak on Friday. The eight-song effort is entirely featureless, allowing Yak to shine all on his own. 

Last night, the rapper unveiled visuals for an eerie cut off of his project titled, “Basement On Fire.” The single finds Yak navigating through spacey production with details success and violence from the streets to the rap game.

The eight-song effort from Yak will certainly produce a couple of bangers for the summer. What’s your favorite song off of the project?

Quotable Lyrics
Can’t even stop gettin’ high
Can’t even tell my people why
I can’t even stop playin’ with fire
I can say I changed but I lied
He set the basement on fire
He made a statement, oh my 

Conway The Machine, JID, And Ludacris Share An Eerie Performance Of ‘Scatter Brain’ On ‘The Tonight Show’

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After years of releasing mixtapes, Conway The Machine shared his official debut last fall with From King To A God. Just like the rest of the Griselda members, Conway wasted no time getting back to work as he returned with another project, La Maquina, in April. The eleven-track effort was highlight by features from Ludacris, JID, 2 Chainz, El Camino along with fellow Griselda acts Benny The Butcher and Westside Gunn. Just a little over a month removed from sharing La Maquina, Conway took his talents to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform one of the album’s tracks.

Sliding through with Ludacris and JID by his side, Conway took the late-night TV stage to perform “Scatter Brain.” The track is a favorite from La Maquina and the performance itself made for the rapper’s national television debut. The trio delivered their slick-lipped rhymes while pacing around an eerie stage that contained disconnected televisions, barbed wire, and floor-grazing smoke.

During a recent interview on Apple Music, Conway shared when fans could expect his next project.

“That should be coming out this summer. Like, June or July, and I’m excited,” he said. “We had to go through the channels I had to go through a lot of the stuff that had sample issues, and we couldn’t get some stuff cleared. So, songs didn’t make it, that got put out early on other projects. We had to make other songs and stuff to make up for it. It was a process but it’s finally complete.”

You can watch the performance in the video above.

NBA Teams Pay Tribute To The WNBA On Opening Night

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This year is a special one for the WNBA as they are celebrating their 25th anniversary. Over the past year, the league has seen an uptick in support, especially when it comes to social media highlight accounts and even TV deals. This has allowed women’s basketball to grow at an exponential pace, and while there is still room to grow, there is no denying that the WNBA is in the best place it has ever been. 

To kick off the festivities, there were four games last night and they were all extremely entertaining. The best game of the night was between the New York Liberty and the Indiana Fever, with the Liberty winning thanks to a last-second shot from phenom Sabrina Ionescu. It was the perfect way to kick off the league’s opening night and fans immediately took notice.

Prior to the first games of the evening, the WNBA also received a ton of support from various NBA teams. Players like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook all had special messages for the players and even Chris Paul could be seen rocking some WNBA gear. All in all, it is obvious that the NBA has a ton of respect for what the WNBA is doing and the partnership continues to look fruitful.

Over the course of this season, the WNBA is promising to deliver a ton of great moments and if the opening night is any indication of what’s to come, fans are in for a treat.