Hip Hop News

A$AP Rocky has been keeping it relatively low-key since the release of 2018’s Testing, a highly experimental project that left fans divided despite undeniable high points like “Fukk Sleep” and “Praise The Lord.” For his upcoming album All $miles, many have clamored for Rocky to return to vintage form, forgetting that he of all people has never been one to look back. 

At least, until now — thanks to a new feature with GQ that finds him reviewing his best and worst looks from across the years. While some fans might lament the lack of musical content, it can’t be denied that Rocky’s fashion has been an important part of his identity, having sparked trends and associations with particular phases of his career. For the most part, he seems to enjoy the stroll down memory lane, even showing a welcome bit of self-deprecating humor as he reflects. 

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For those interesting in the collision between hip-hop and fashion, this is easily a must-watch. Interesting anecdotes arrive off the jump, as Rocky muses on his previous penchant for Pyrex. “Vergil had to change Pyrex cause of a cease and desist,” he recalls. “I think the beaker company Pyrex was coming for that ass, so he had to do the wise thing. He consulted with us and was asking some opinions — subsequently, everybody is walking around in Off-White.”

“Coming up early in my career, you could only catch me in number 1 Jordans or number 4 Jordans,” he remembers. “That’s how you knew that was some uptown Harlem A$AP shit. It feels like now, those are the most popular two.” When asked why he never collaborated with Nike, he jokingly states that “Nike sucks.” “I think it’s a battle between Puma, Converse, Adidas, and Nike,” he adds. “I want to do all four, a sneaker for every brand.”

Check out Rocky’s full interview with GQ now, and be sure to keep an eye out for more news on the upcoming All $miles, which now features a confirmed appearance from Morrissey. 

Last Friday, Kodak Black surrounded himself with giants and released Haitian Boy Kodak amidst two extremely anticipated releases from J. Cole and Nicki Minaj. Drake has recently praised Kodak’s work on the album, but it’s Kodak’s penchant for drama and polarizing takes that have kept people talking about Haitian Boy Kodak.

From potentially shooting his shot at Yung Miami and Jayda Cheaves to addressing his differences with NBA Youngboy and Meek Mill, the Florida artist’s new album suffered no shortage of gossip. Furthermore, Kodak Black has once again aligned himself with Donald Trump and professed his appreciation for him. Now, it’s time to see how all of Kodak’s antics on and off wax have affected the commercial success of his new no-feature project.

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According to DJ Akademiks, Kodak Black’s Haitian Boy Kodak is currently on pace to move 22,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, which Hits Daily Double projects will be enough to earn the album the 16th spot on the Billboard 200.

Although these numbers are still significantly lower than Kodak’s commercial peak with Dying To Live in 2018, the current sales projections not only show a substantial increase from the 16,000 album-equivalent unit performance of last year’s Bill Israel, they also signal Kodak Black’s return to the top 20 on the Billboard 200 after three years.

Do you think that Kodak’s numbers accurately reflect the quality of his latest album? 

Candace Owens seemingly doesn’t have anything kind to say about people who identify as non-binary, sharing a bigoted take on the gender identity on Twitter. 

Known for speaking her mind and attacking the left on social media, right-winged conservative commentator Candace Owens has stirred the pot with yet another ignorant take online, saying that people who announce their pronouns as “they/them” are just showing that they have “poor grammar.”

 
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“Announcing that your pronouns are they/them is just poor grammar,” she tweeted on Wednesday evening. “I don’t care your reasons—please stop trying to make low academic achievement a thing.”

Almost immediately after she shared her thoughts, Candace’s name popped up in the trending topics on the microblogging platform with thousands of people reacting to it. Much of the response has come from those who are offended by her uneducated stance, wondering if Candace has ever had a productive conversation with a non-binary individual to actually argue her point. 

Owens tweeted this on the same day that news broke of singer Demi Lovato announcing that they changed their pronouns to “they/them” after coming out as non-binary. Demi identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community– it’s her prerogative to identify however she wants. Candace, who does not identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, has no reason to be so bothered about this.

Recently, Instagram added a feature where users can easily state their pronouns on their account, allowing people to choose from dozens of choices, including “they/them.” 

Check out some reactions to her tweet below.

Wednesday marked Yo Gotti’s 40th birthday, and to celebrate, the Memphis artist and record executive hosted a massive birthday bash that boasted a guest list adorned with some of the biggest names in Hip-Hop. Of course, the party was packed with Yo Gotti’s CMG artists and other Memphis rappers, including Blac Youngsta, MoneyBagg Yo, BlocBoy JB, and Lil Migo.

In addition to Yo Gotti’s fellow Memphis artists, one person who notably showed up to celebrate his birthday was fellow artist and record label executive Rick Ross, making for a major CMG x MMG link-up.

This marks a stark contrast from recently surfaced rumors that Ross wasn’t really welcomed at Meek Mill’s birthday party. As previously reported, Rozay was allegedly blocked from entering Meek’s private section due to the Championships artist’s desire to part ways with Ross’ record label.

As seen in a recent post from Rick Ross, it doesn’t seem like he had to experience a similar situation while out celebrating Yo Gotti’s birthday on Wednesday. Dressed up to the nines in a pale pink suit, the Port of Miami 2 artist can be seen exchanging laughs with various rappers and music industry insiders, including Bobby Shmurda, O.T. Genasis, and Elliot Wilson, among others.

“This night we celebrate a hustler BDAY.. @yogotti #CMG,” Rick Ross wrote for the post’s caption. “I love watching bosses celebrate one another, celebration which is earned. @moneybaggyo @otgenasis @peppa_mouthofthasouth @itsbobbyshmurda @villonfrance.”

Happy birthday, Yo Gotti!

It’s no secret that Soulja Boy has been somewhat of a man on a mission — arguably many missions, in fact — though his chief raison d’etre currently centers around collecting his long-overdue credit. Given how influential he appears to have been on this new generation of hip-hop, especially when it comes to the likes of going viral and internet marketing, Soulja may very well deserve his flowers as an originator.

As he tells it, he even brought FL Studio into the mainstream during a time when the now-ubiquitous production software was frowned upon. “I introduced Fruity Loops to the culture,” he claims. “They were laughing at me, “Where your MPC at? Haha.” No, “Crank Dat” just sold 10 million. HA HA! Demo version. In the trenches. I didn’t even pay for Fruit Loops, I ain’t even have a key. Free key. Offline. Demo version. Fruity Loops. “Crank Dat.” Diamond.”

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Suffice it to say, Soulja Boy wants you and your next of kin to know that he stands at the forefront of several movements, and will not rest until he is recognized accordingly. Luckily, there are a few who have already stepped up to credit the “Crank Dat” innovator. Pooh Shiesty is among the latest, taking to Instagram to give Soulja his long-sought credit. “Don’t let them play with Soulja Boy,” says Shiesty. “He started everything but that ‘Big Draco’ shit. He can have everything but that. Don’t play with Soulja Boy. That’s my n***a.”

Though it’s likely that Soulja will take issue with the “Big Draco” caveat, he can at the very least take solace in knowing that one of the game’s breakout stars is standing behind him. For more from Soulja Boy, including a list of his many innovations as told by the man himself, check out our exclusive interview right here.

An investigation was launched shortly after soccer legend Diego Maradona’s death by his family, who suspected that there was something iffy about his passing. The findings of the investigation have been revealed and, as a result, seven people have been charged with homicide as it has been determined that Maradona’s death likely could have been prevented. Among those charged were Dr. Leopoldo Luque, who performed brain surgery on Maradona two weeks before his passing, his psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, two nurses, and other medical practitioners.

Maradona was only sixty at the time of his death. He died of heart failure just two weeks after undergoing brain surgery. Argentinian police raided his surgeon’s home and private clinic and it appears they have found enough evidence to prove that Dr. Luque warrants homicide charges. Reports by ESPN confirm that the doctor was charged with “simple homicide with eventual intent.” All seven people that were charged face up to 25 years in prison.

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It is believed that Maradona’s medical team did not take proper care of the soccer legend following his brain surgery. Prosecutors believe that his death could have been prevented had he not been given insufficient medical care. 

The case will reportedly be presented to a judge on May 31. 

We will keep you updated with the latest developments as more information is released.

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The verdict is in and after two games, it doesn’t look like the masses are on board for J. Cole’s professional basketball career overseas. People have excitedly tuned in to watch the North Carolina-repping rapper’s first few games as part of the Patriots in Rwanda but those same folks have been pretty vocal about it online. Having just released his new album The Off-Season, of which one song just debuted in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top Ten, the hype has been real regarding Cole’s basketball debut. But after a few uneventful games off the bench, the slander has begun on social media with people urging the rapper not to quit his day job.

Despite getting a solid block at the beginning of his most recent game, J. Cole ended the matchup with zero points, zero assists, one rebound, one steal, and one block. The subpar stat line hasn’t impressed the trolls on Twitter, who have been having fun with Cole’s existing highlight reel, sharing videos of him air-balling two three-pointers during the game.

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“Aye man, at least J. Cole can rap,” tweeted a Dreamville fan page, earning over two thousand retweets. It be ya own, sometimes. “Please never stop making music J. Cole,” said another fan, seemingly joking about the rapper’s performance on the basketball court.

At this stage in his basketball career, Cole likely has some jitters about finally fulfilling his dreams and playing professional ball. We’ll keep you updated on how his next few games go. For now, check out what people have been saying below.