Hip Hop News

J. Cole had a lot of his fans tuning into ESPN this morning as he made his highly anticipated debut with the Rwanda Patriots of the Basketball Africa League. Cole ended up signing with the team just a couple of weeks ago and throughout the season, he is expected to play three to six games.

In today’s game, Cole subbed into the match fairly early on and he immediately made an impact on defense. During his first shift, he was able to score his first career basket and it made for quite the moment. When all was said and done, Cole finished with three points, three rebounds, and two assists, in the span of 17 minutes. His team went on to win the game 83-60.

Considering this is his first game with the team, these stats are pretty respectable and you can’t help but respect Cole for suiting up on a professional level. He got to live out a dream today and even with everything he’s accomplished over the years, he is still finding ways to reinvent himself.

Moving forward, we can’t wait to see how he progresses with the team.

Dominique Oliveto/Getty Images for Klutch Sports Group 2019 All Star Weekend

It seems like Ice Cube is refusing to back down in his legal battle with investment app Robinhood. Back in March, we reported that the renowned West Coast rapper filed a lawsuit against Robinhood, accusing the app of using his likeness without his permission. In the suit he claimed that Robinhood used his image in an ad that was included in an advertisement in the Robinhood Snacks newsletter without contacting him. 

He is seeking millions from the company for allegedly stealing his catchphrase, “Check Yo Self, Before You Wreck Yo Self,” in a promotional email sent by the company to their user-base. He filed the lawsuit on March 31st of this year, but Robinhood filed a motion to get the entire case thrown out by a judge, claiming he has no copyright claims over the image taken from Are We Done Yet? 

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They further argued that Ice Cube was simply seeking attention since the phrase has been co-opted numerous times outside of the app’s use. Cube’s attorney, however, Michael A. Taitelman has fired back at Robinhood’s attempt to dismiss the rapper’s complaint. 

“[Robinhood] now seeks to evade responsibility for their misconduct by filing a blunderbuss motion that misses the mark,” Taitelman said. [Robinhood’s use of [Ice Cube’s] image and likeness is pure commercialization, executed without the consent of [Ice Cube] and [Robinhood’s efforts to hide behind the Constitution are in vain.”

Cube further alleges his name is a registered trademark, and Robinhood’s use of his image and likeness resulted in false advertising, a right not protected under the constitution. On June 3rd, Judge Laurel Beeler will decide whether or not the lawsuit will proceed or not.

We’ll keep you updated with the case. 

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Hollywood’s A-listers often spend time wining and dining amongst each other. Drake, who was recently named Billboard’s Artist of the Decade for his immeasurable achievements in the music industry, has been making plenty of appearances as fans await his next studio album Certified Lover Boy. He recently lent a hook to Nicki Minaj for “Seeing Green,” and has been spotted out numerous times partying with the likes of Bobby Shmurda and Chris Brown. 

As for Michael B. Jordan, he is currently set to star in the upcoming drama film A Journal for Jordan. Paparazzi captured the Hollywood elite pair as they linked up in the neighborhood’s West end to grab a bite for dinner.

The Black Panther star and OVO’s head honcho got together on Friday night (May 14th) in West Hollywood to grab dinner at Craig’s. Drake rocked a pair of neon orange pants and a silver bomber jacket for the dinner, pairing the fit with matching sneakers and a white t-shirt underneath. The look was complete with multiple chains as well.

Michael B. Jordan opted to instead rock a red plaid jacket with an olive shirt underneath, completing the look with cargo pants. Later on in the night, Drake dipped out to a private party attended by Chris Brown, Draya Michele, Travis Scott, Bobby Shmurda, and others. 

Check out shots from their get-together above. 

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It was a Young Money reunion on Friday when Drake, Lil Wayne, and Nicki Minaj re-connected on wax for the first time in what feels like forever. Nicki’s re-release of Beam Me Up Scotty arrived with an additional five songs, including “Seeing Green” which features Wayne and Drake. It was a blast from the past for many YMCMB stans and all three rappers were in tip-top shape.

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It goes Wayne, Nicki, then Drake who kicks his verse off with a reference to “Young Angel” and “Young Lion.” Each rapper delivered a stellar verse on the track but Nicki will be the first to admit that she felt she got “washed” on the track. During a Twitter Q&A with her fans, Nicki said that she was a bit rusty in the booth when she recorded her verse. A viral tweet asking fans for their favorite Young Money bar surfaced and Nicki shared her thoughts on the final production. 

“All I know is that they washed me on #SeeingGreen. I’m woman enough to admit when I’ve been washed on a track by the Greats,” she wrote. “It’s okay #Barbz I’ve washed them b4. We’ll live through this one. I was a little rusty.”

She later explained that the verse took her a week to wrap up, largely because she had recorded several versions. “Honestly I kept coming back to it for like a week. I have like 7 diff versions of my verse on that song,” she tweeted. “And no I’m not gonna upload them.”

What are your thoughts on “Seeing Green?” Sound off in the comments. 

One of the best Air Jordan models of all time is the Tinker Hatfield-produced Air Jordan 3. It was the first silhouette to be designed by Hatfield and over the years, it has become a fan favorite that is highly regarded as the best Jumpman shoe of all time. Thanks to this distinction, the Jordan 3 has been able to receive a whole bunch of great colorways and every single, Jordan Brand comes through with some new models that always seem to get consumers excited.

The latest colorway to be unveiled is this “Rust Pink” offering which has been made specifically for all of the women sneakerheads out there. As you can see in the images below, the shoe is made out of muted pink nubuck, all while the tongue and midsole have a creamy beige aesthetic. Jumpman logos are found on the tongue and even the back heel, which helps bring all of the brandings into the colorway in a tasteful manner.

If you are hoping to get your hands on a pair of these, you will be able to do so as of Friday, May 28th for a price of $190 USD. Let us know what you think of them, in the comments below. 

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

To call Janet Jackson one of the icons of her generation is simply an understatement. The pop sensation holds countless awards and accolades in recognition of her musical achievements, while she is also well known for her stellar performances and stage presence. She and brother Michael Jackson’s 1995 duet “Scream” became an immensely successful hit for the both of them. 

The iconic outfit she wore in the video for “Scream,” along with 1,000 other items from the pop sensation’s archives, were put on auction as part of Julien’s Auctions event, titled, “Iconic Treasures From the legendary Career and Life of Janet Jackson.” The all-black fit Jackson rocked in the video fetched a whopping $125k in cash. 

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The Grammy winner turned over the items from her career to Julien’s to coincide with her 55th birthday. The auction’s description of the item explains it’s, “A black circular “bubble” textured fabric long-sleeve shirt by Dexter Wong, a pair of black patent leather pants, and a pair of black patent leather over-the-ankle chunky low-heel boots.”

Compassion International, an organization that works to fight against child poverty, will receive a cut from the auction. Other treasures from Jackson purchased for big bucks include her floor-length metallic silver coat with lambskin shearling lining, cuffs and collar, which sold for $50,000. A silver string bikini and matching pants received $25,600. 

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Her jacket from the 1990 Rhythm Nation Tour and 1814 cap and black satin gloves sold for $81,250, while silver-tone hoop earrings she rocked at the 1987 Soul Train Awards hauled in $43,750. Check out more clips from the auction above and below. 

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

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There has been a lot of turmoil between Joe Budden and his former podcast co-hosts Rory & Mal. Just a couple of months ago, it was revealed that Rory and Mal were no longer on the pod, which had fans questioning what was going on. Eventually, Rory and Mal came back for a reunion episode and at the time, it seemed like things were going to be good again. However, this all changed this past week when Joe went on a fiery rant on his podcast in which he fired Rory and Mal on the spot. 

Budden claimed that his co-hosts were trying to audit him despite not having any ownership in the podcast. On Saturday, Rory and Mal dropped a response to Joe’s accusations, and in the conversation, they revealed a key piece of information. As Rory and Mal explain, they were being paid based on a percentage of the podcast’s earnings. As a result, they wanted to look at the accounting to make sure they were being paid the proper amount. However, Joe allegedly didn’t like this, and ultimately fired them for it.

Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Revolt

“I feel like Joe feels like a lot of the success of this podcast is based over his music career,” Mal said explained “And my thing is, it’s not. I been in some of these cities when you were a rapper, Joe. … This many people weren’t showing up for you.”

The conversation between Rory & Mal has gone viral on social media and fans have been weighing in on the ordeal. Based on Rory & Mal’s account of things, it seems like fans are firmly on their side. Budden has been known to burn bridges in the past, and some are starting to realize just how much this situation mirrors some of Joe’s other business fallouts.

You can see what fans had to say about the response podcast, below.

When it comes to the current state of hip-hop, it’s Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole that are often thrown in the conversation of the best lyricists in the game. Those three rappers have managed to keep their pens sharp, reach critical acclaim, and succeed on the charts simultaneously. However, there hasn’t been an occasion in history when we’ve heard all three of them on the same track.

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Following the release of The Off-Season, J. Cole sat down with Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez for the latest episode of Boardroom’s The ETC’s podcast. The rapper discusses the parallels between ball and rap, as well as the competitive nature that comes with it. The competition is simply a part of the game but Cole detailed how it prevented him from getting close to his peers, namely Drake and Kendrick Lamar.

“I was so competitive early on that, even though we were all friends — I would say we’re all friends and friendly. Like, I’ve never been a reach out, you know what I mean? I’ve never been that person, especially when it’s competition involved,” he explained. He compared his rivalry with Kendrick and Drake to basketball players working out with each other in the past. “Why would I work out with this n***a? I’m trying to destroy this n***a.”

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“That was kind of my mentality early on but as I got older I realized like… no one is truly my peer or can truly relate to my life more than [Drake and Kendrick Lamar],” he continued. “No one can really relate to that like like these dudes and I really genuinely fuck with these dudes. So like, I’ve been absolutely been trying to make an effort, like, as time goes on to strip the competition from it. Like, y’all n***as are cemented forever. I would hope that I’m cemented forever and if not, I will be when it’s all said and done.”

With hints of retirement scattered through recent interviews, Cole said that the possibility of him leaving the game is real. Because of that, he doesn’t want to regret not sharing any memories with Drake and Kendrick — two artists that he came up with. And stripping the competition appears to be a matter of age at this point. 

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“You’re not going to be competitive against someone you don’t respect. You’re not going to be extremely competitive with someone you don’t respect. So it’s always a respect thing. I think now, it’s just a wisdom thing,” Cole continued. “It’s like, yo, you can never have it all. A hundred percent of people aren’t going to say Kevin Durant is the best player walk on the face of the earth. A hundred percent of people are never going to say J. Cole is the best rapper breathing. You won’t get 90%. You won’t get 90% say Drake. You won’t get 90% say Kendrick. It’s never gon’ happen.”

Check out the full clip below.