Hip Hop News

Last year, as fans were excited over the Verzuz match-ups, people were asking for a Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony pairing. There were rumors that the Verzuz was in the works, but information regarding the potential music event went dark. In November, DJ Paul caught up with us and revealed that his crew and Bone Thugs had agreed to appear in a similar format to Verzuz, albeit it was independent. They planned on sharing the stage outside of the Verzuz bubble, but Paul claims just 30 minutes before they went live, Swizz Beatz called Krayzie Bone and told them all to hold off until they could officially get Verzuz on board.

Then, Paul revealed to us, the Verzuz was canceled. He claims Krayzie Bone returned and said with all that was going on in the world, it wasn’t the right time. Verzuz moved forward and Three 6 Mafia seemingly missed their opportunity to add their name to the list of performers. It’s unfortunate for Hip Hop fans, and Three Six Mafia’s Crunchy Black is peeved at Timbaland and Swizz Beatz.

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“When it come to Paul and Juicy J, I don’t like to talk about the sh*t that they talk to me about, but I’mma speak on this just because Timbaland and Swizz Beatz told Paul that they gon’ set up a time or a date for them to go against ‘Verzuz’ against Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and they didn’t show us no love,” Black told VladTV.

“Bone Thugs-N-Harmony sold platinum and double-platinum albums. Three 6 Mafia sold platinum and double-platinum albums. Y’all said that y’all only dealing with people that have that accolade of double-platinum albums, you know what I’m saying?” said the rapper. “But just because Paul tried to set it up with his friends, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, y’all tell them to hold up for a minute, y’all gon’ set it up, and they never set it up.”

Crunchy Black questioned how Timbaland and Swizz Beatz can boast “spreading love” if they “didn’t do what the people want.” He added, “Everybody want it. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three  Mafia to do the ‘Verzuz’… C’mon man. Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, I f*ck with y’all for real. Keep doing the good sh*t.”

He told them “don’t be on that bullsh*t ’cause we from the South.” Black accused Timbaland and Swizz of wanting to “downgrade” them because of where they’re from. “I hate for folks to play with Juicy and I definitely hate for folks to play with Paul.” Watch crunchy Black share his frustrations below.

Gal Gadot recently faced an onslaught of backlash after she tweeted her concerns regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, and Rihanna has faced a bit of it herself. In recent weeks, there has been increasing awareness regarding the airstrikes between Israel and Palestine as supporters of both sides have taken to social media in real-time to post updates. Rihanna surfaced on social media this evening (May 12) where she shared that she was distraught over the distressing news of innocent people dying in the crossfire.

“My heart is breaking with the violence I’m seeing displayed between Israel and Palestine!” the singer wrote in a text image shared on Instagram.

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“I can’t bare to see it! Innocent Israeli and Palestinian children are hiding in bomb shelters, over 40 lives lost in Gaza alone, at least 13 of whom were also innocent children! There needs to be some kind of resolve! We are sadly watching innocent people fall victim to notions perpetuated by government and extremists, and this cycle needs to be broken.” In the caption, she wrote, “I stand with humanity!”

This isn’t the first time Rihanna has taken to social media to discuss controversial political topics. She has actively posted messages about Black Lives Matter, she vocalized her distaste for former President Donald Trump, she addressed the farmer’s protest in India, she’s advocated for undocumented Mexican immigrants, she voiced support for Sudan, and she sent messages supporting Americans Indigenous peoples during Thanksgiving. ans have also noted that seven years ago, she tweeted “Free Palestine,” but the tweet has reportedly been deleted. Still, alleged screenshots have been shared.

Check out the singer’s post, and a few reactions, below.

He was on his way to possibly taking home the win on American Idol, but teen sensation Caleb Kennedy will no longer be involved in the singing competition series. Kennedy fought his way through hundreds of hopefuls and the 16-year-old was among the Top 5 final contestants, but a scandal arose after a video surfaced online showing the country singer next to someone wearing a Ku Klux Klan-like hood.

The New York Post reports that American Idol confirmed Kennedy’s departure and soon, he returned to his Instagram with an apology to “his fans and everyone who I have let down.”

Kennedy has wowed both judges and the public with his covers of Jason Aldean, Coldplay, and Willie Nelson hits, but it wasn’t enough to keep Idol from giving him the boot. “Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise but I am no longer gonna be on ‘American Idol,’” Kennedy shared on social media. “There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way.”

“I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse,” he continued without delivering the context of the clip. “I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down. I’ll be taking a little time off social media to better myself, but saying that, I know this has hurt and disappointed a lot of people and made people lose respect for me. I’m so sorry! I pray that I can one day regain your trust in who I am and have your respect! Thank you for supporting me.”

His fans have shown their support by telling Kennedy that he didn’t do anything wrong because he was reportedly a pre-teen at the time and wasn’t the person wearing the hood. Idol will return to small screens this weekend with their Top 4 finalists. It is unclear if they’ll address the controversy on air.

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If you have been watching the news, then you may be aware of what has been happening between Isreal and Palestine. Images and photos of the Israeli military ejecting Palestinian families from their homes or Hamas and Israel’s rockets flying through the sky in the middle of the night or airstrikes devastating Gaza have taken over timelines, and the conflict has caused several celebrities to speak out. Many have chosen sides over the controversial political human rights issue, and Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot has received backlash after sharing her thoughts.

Gadot, who was previously a fighter for the Israeli Defense Force, reportedly tweeted that she was heartbroken over what is going on overseas. “Israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation,” Gadot tweeted. “Our neighbors deserve the same.”

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“I pray for the victims and their families. I pray for this unimaginable hostility to end, I pray for our leaders to find the solution so we can live side by side in peace,” she said. “This is a vicious cycle that has been going on for far too long.” Israel has stood accused of “ethnic cleansing” according to Palestine supporters and soon Gadot faced a slew of backlash.

However, there were those who stood up for the actress, including Republican Senator Ted Cruz, but it all became too much for Gadot. She eventually turned off her comments, but that hasn’t stopped the uproar. She’s a leading trending topic on social media and her polarizing stance is being discussed worldwide.

Check out a few responses below.

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Since revealing their romance to the world, Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian haven’t let up. The reality star hasn’t been as public with her romances following her split from Scott Disick, the father of her three children. Kourtney and Scott were in an on-again-off-again relationship from 2005 to 2015, and while he’s been seen on the arm of young starlets like Bella Thorne and Sofia Richie, Kourtney has kept her private life behind the veil, that is until she linked up with friend Travis Barker.

The pair have been flaunting their PDA all over social media but their latest set of photos have caused a stir. Not only has he received an interesting candle in tribute to his girlfriend, but Barker also allowed her to tattoo him. Now, it can match the tattoo of her name he recently added to his collection.

The pair posted pictures that showed Kourtney at work as she inked “I love you” on his arm. Kourtney also shared an image of her Goop candle that reads, “This Smells Like Kourtney’s Orgasm.” As the couple revel in their love, Barker’s ex-wife and mother of his two children, Shanna Moakler, thinks the couple’s display of affections is odd.

“I’m very much over my ex. It’s been a long time. However, do I think some of the PDA that he’s doing with her is weird? [Yes],” Moakler told PEOPLE. “The movie, ‘True Romance,’ that I feel like they’ve been bonding over was the theme of our wedding. Our daughter’s named after the character in the movie. Flying banners overhead like we did on ‘Meet the Barkers.’ Stuff like that … I just think it’s weird.”

Check out Travis and Kourtney lay it on thick below.

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The allegations against Soulja Boy are beginning to stack up. He’s facing lawsuits with alleged victims accusing him of domestic violence, holding them against their will, and assault, and most recently, he’s been tacked with another set of legal woes. In recent months, Soulja has been basking in his comeback thanks to TikTok helping “She Make It Clap” a hit, but we previously reported on the rapper being sued by an ex-girlfriend, listed as Jane Doe, who has accused him of domestic battery and causing her to have a miscarriage.

“(Jane Doe) and (DeAndre Way) first began their on-and-off romantic relationship in 2007,” the lawsuit states. “They restarted their relationship in a more serious capacity in 2014 until mid 2019 when (Doe) could no longer withstand (Way’s) constant abuse.” The unnamed accuser is reportedly seeking a trial and cites sexual battery, gender violence, negligence, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. 

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Recently, Nia Riley, daughter of music legend Teddy Riley and ex-girlfriend to Soulja Boy, alleged in an interview that she was pregnant with the rapper’s child and suffered a miscarriage after he reportedly kicked her in the stomach. She claimed he held a gun to her head in front of all of his friends but they decided not to do anything about it and just sat with him. 

While the lawsuit only states that Jane Doe is seeking her day in court, Nia has been receiving messages from the rapper’s fans throughout the day (May 12). “Not the first, won’t be the last,” she tweeted. She reposted a message from Maya Moody, the woman who has stated that Talib Kweli has been harassing her since July of last year. Moody wrote that for “300+ days” she hasn’t had peace, and Nia retweeted the message with a note.

“Yea. how I felt and y’all still keep doing this sh*t after I gave even more facts and details,” added Riley. She then shared a screenshot of a DM from one of Soulja Boy’s fans saying she “deserved what happened.” In the end, she claimed that her “character speaks for itself.” You can check out the posts below and click here to view Soulja Boy’s response to the accusations.

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The relationship that Tommie Lee has with her daughter is a sensitive one. Last year, the mother-daughter duo was at odds and it all seemed to spill over onto social media. Samaria was 16 when she revealed that she was pregnant, adding that Tommie tried to trick her into having an abortion. The reality star returned with an explanation, stating that “as a mom, I’m disappointed,” also including that she was a teen mother and she just wanted her daughter to have options.

For Mother’s Day, Samaria reportedly shared a photo of herself with her grandmother and in the caption, she wrote, “You’ve seen here more than the people that brought me on this earth.” OnSite, Nicki Minaj’s good friend Rah Ali’s outlet, reposted the message, but Tommie didn’t appreciate it. “Rah you really a weird ass b*tch,” she commented.

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“How low you will go to seek a like and a comment to continue to tie me in to this bullsh*t the remains this is a child but somehow it feels like I’m talking to one now you delusional miserable b*tch,” Tommie continued. “And to think you use to hit me everytime I was in Ny to eat wit cho washed ass b*tch don’t forget I’m on all the bullsh*t b*tch I play with kids too hoe thread lightly corny.”

“I see why nik or nobody f*cks with you side note b*tch you will never be Wendy and that’s sad that that’s the lane your in watch ya self b*tch see you soon!” Lee added. She made sure to tag Rah’s IG handle in the message and noted that she doesn’t want to hear anyone say that the post was made by one of Ali’s employees.

OnSite responded to Tommie by writing, “Tommie has responded to a Mother’s Day post her daughter posted to her grandmother. We reposted it with the most unbiased caption, and yet here we are. It’s unfortunate that in urban media, many of our entertainers think they can bully and intimidate us for reporting the news our followers care about.”

Check it all out below.

Encouraging words, kind thoughts, prayers, and well wishes have poured in for Tank today (May 12). The veteran R&B singer has been in the industry for decades, often collaborating with some of our favorite and iconic artists, and he recently delivered troubling news that he hopes will inspire others to keep fighting the good fight.

“So, I’m going through something right now and I want to use my situation to encourage your situation,” said the singer in a video he shared on Instagram.

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“I’m going completely deaf in my right ear and I’m kinda losing sound in my left,” he continued. “I’m dizzy. Can’t walk a straight line. All of this out of nowhere. Don’t know how or why. Seen the doctors, got an MRI and all that good stuff going on. Medication. All of that. But, you know, it still hasn’t given me a reason to give up. Still hasn’t given me a reason to stop feeling like I can do and be everything that I’ve set out to be.”

“The goals are still the same, to be great, to be the greatest. I want to say that to you, too,” Tank stated. “No matter what you’re going through, no matter where you find yourself. Whether your body is failing you, whether your mind is failing you, whether your spirit is failing you, keep going. Keep pushing. I’mma document my process just to show you the fight. Just to show you that you’re still in it. We’re still in it.”

“So, much love to you, and let’s keep fighting.” Watch Tank’s video below.