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

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

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

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

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

[Via]

Kodak Black Lights The Booth On “Basement On Fire”

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’

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

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.

G Herbo Shows Nicki Minaj Mad Love For Giving Him His “First Big Shot”

The surprise release that Nicki Minaj had fans anticipating all week was actually what fans have been demanding all along — the release of Beam Me Up Scotty to DSPs. The iconic mixtape arrived in its entirety along with a few fan favorites that have also never made it to streaming services. Of course, it’s her collaboration alongside Lil Wayne and Drake that has made many feel nostalgic. However, fans have also been appreciating the fact that they can also listen to “Chiraq” with Lil Herb on DSPs. 


Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

As the drill scene was breaking into mainstream consciousness, Nicki’s co-sign of G Herbo undoubtedly helped propel his career. The rapper acknowledged this on Twitter upon the release of Nicki’s Beam Me Up Scotty re-release. “Nicki Minaj gave me my first big shot put me on that stage with her & I ain’t looked back since! Love you 4 ever ever,” he wrote on Twitter. He also shared a throwback photo with Nicki, writing, “IYKYK.”

Nicki’s Beam Me Up Scotty re-release included the release of three new songs including the aforementioned collab with Drake and Wayne, “Seeing Green.” Additionally, Nicki also released “Fractions” and a remix of Skillibeng’s single, “Crocodile Teeth.” Hopefully, this is a sign that Nicki has a new album on the way before the end of the year. As Drake said, the game is missing Nicki’s presence.

Peep Herbo’s tweets below. 

Joe Exotic Believes He Has Prostate Cancer, Wants Presidential Pardon

Joe Exotic became a household name last year thanks to the immensely popular Tiger King documentary which was released on Netflix. At the end of the doc, we all learned that Exotic was actually in prison thanks to the hit he placed on the life of Carole Baskin, who was his archnemesis. Since the release of the documentary, Exotic has been desperately trying to get out of prison and he even reached out to former President Donald Trump for a pardon.

Now, Exotic is claiming that he recently underwent PSA tests that showed his levels were high. This tends to suggest he could be at risk for prostate cancer. According to TMZ, Exotic is adamant that he has the disease and that he should be released from prison as a result.

Tiger

Marc Piscotty/Getty Images

“I have lost a tremendous amount of weight, the mouth sores are out of control, I throw up more than I eat. I don’t want anyone’s pity, what I need is when John Phillips gets the evidence he is working on, I need the world to help him get President Biden, VP Harris and the Attorney General to listen to the evidence,” Exotic said per his lawyer John Phillips.

Phillips is seeking a new trial for Exotic although considering the public nature of the case, it remains to be seen whether or not that will happen. For now, however, it’s clear that Exotic is facing serious health problems and he is desperate to be released.

Tiger

Marc Piscotty/Getty Images

[Via]

Bobby Shmurda Parties With Drake & Chris Brown

Bobby Shmurda is up to some big things but it still feels like we’ll be waiting a little bit longer for his return to the rap game. Earlier this year, the Brooklyn rapper emerged from prison to a warm welcome from his peers. Friends and family gathered together as the rapper prepared for his return to the limelight. Appearances at All-Star Weekend, a handful of interviews, and a whole lot of flexing have been happening on his end. It’s hard not to appreciate his return to the limelight.


Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

While he might be on parole, Bobby Shmurda is still enjoying himself responsibly. It seems that every moment he steps out, it’s a celebratory occasion and last night was no different. Bobby popped out in the club with Drake and Chris Brown hanging around nearby, soaking in the energy of the moment. Shmurda, masked up with a Marathon hat on, was with Rowdy Rebel and Chris Brown before a dance-off of sorts began to take place. Given the outcome of Drake’s dance battle with Chris Brown in the “No Guidance” video, it looks like he decided to opt-out from gracing the dancefloor. 

No word on if there were any discussions surrounding a collaboration but it would not be shocking if Bobby’s voice pops up somewhere on Certified Lover Boy.

Check out the clip of Bobby, Drake and Breezy below. 

Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna, & Don Toliver Go On An Adventure In “His & Hers” Video

On Thursday, Internet Money dropped off what should prove to be one of the best songs of the summer. Much like last year’s effort “Lemonade,” “His & Hers” is a summer-ready banger that features the likes of Don Toliver, Gunna, and Lil Uzi Vert. These artists are all massive stars in their respective lanes and when they team up on the same track together, you can pretty well guarantee that the results are going to be favorable. After releasing the song Thursday, the Lyrical Lemonade music video came out on Friday, and it showcases all of the featured artists going on an adventure.

Throughout the music video, Gunna, Lil Uzi Vert, and Don Toliver are all stuck inside of a computer screen where they can be seen making their way through the woods. The artists seem to be ready for the expedition and they are even dressed like cast members of Duck Dynasty. During Uzi’s verse, the artist can be seen stuck in space, which is certainly fitting for an artist who has given us alien-like fashion and songs over the years.

Let us know what you think of the video, in the comments below.