Hip Hop News

Cardi B recently told Mariah Carey that in the Rap game, she believes that it’s more difficult for women to navigate their careers because they’re often unduly pitted against one another. Competition in Hip Hop is as old as the genre itself as DJ battles, Battle Rap, and diss tracks have propelled the culture, but some have complained that music executives, and other artists, often manufacture tension in order to boost sales. On a recent episode of Angela Scanlon’s Thanks A Million podcast, a British rapper named Lady Leshurr revealed that she was offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to diss Nicki Minaj on a track, but in the end, she turned it down.

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“I’ve always gone with how I feel here. There’s only one time I didn’t go with what was in my belly and it didn’t go well at all. It was really, really disastrous, so I’ve learned from my mistakes,” said Lady Leshurr. “It’s all about integrity. Don’t just take things bcause it looks good right now. What is it gonna look like in five years to come? Ten years to come? I felt specific deals that was offered to me, they would have fizzled out within two years.”

“The first offer, massive, incredible amounts of money. I’ve never seen money like that, £250,000,” she continued. “Offered a record label deal with Atlantic who just kept trying to persuade me to do a diss track to Nicki Minaj. I didn’t know Nicki Minaj then, like personally, we never spoke or anything like that. I knew of her come up, I’ve seen her journey, and I just thought she was amazing.”

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“I’ve never been the type of person to pull another female down that’s doing their thing. Just randomly. That to me is just so cringy. It turns my stomach thinking about it, ’cause some people do do that. Back then, there wasn’t a word for it, but the word right now is ‘clout.'” Lady Leshurr added that she’s not the type of artist that needs to go after another performer for recognition.

“I just like to be in my own zone, in my own lane, minding my own business and doing what makes me happy, never trying to pull people down in the process. I felt it in my belly that time and I just knew this is not the right idea. Turned it down.”

Do you think she made the right decision? Listen to her full appearance on Angela Scanlon’s Thanks A Million below.

For the fans longing for another R&B-centered project from Tory Lanez, the wait is almost over. Despite the controversies that may haunt him, Lane always makes good at delivering new music on a regular schedule. In recent months, the Candian artist has been carefully unveiling his capsules, or projects that have a central theme or purpose. Just hours ago, the singer-rapper-producer shared on social media that we can expect his next capsule soon, and this time, he’ll be bringing some R&B jams to your playlists. 

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It was just last week Lanez shared his explicit R&B single “F.E.E.L.S.” featuring Chris Brown, and as fans of both artists have steadily kept the track on repeat, Lanez announced there is much more on the horizon. “HERE IT IS !!!!!! THE COVER OF THE R&B CAPSULE …….. ENTITLED ‘PLAYBOY’ … THIS WILL DROP …. MARCH 5TH ‼️‼️ PRESAVE LINK IN BIO.”

Then, Lanez issued a sort of social media challenge to engage his fanbase. “TO ALL MY FANS … POST THIS ON YOUR PAGE OR PROFILE AND I WILL COMMENT ON YOUR POST …. THIS PROJECT IS A MOVIE,” he added.

If you haven’t already checked it out, you can watch the visual to “F.E.E.L.S.” below and make sure to also take a look at Playboy‘s cover art. Are you excited to hear Playboy?

His fictional Borat character purposefully finds himself in awkward situations with popular figures around the world, and with each scene, viewers are left wondering how Sacha Baron Cohen was able to pull it off. It was back in 2006 when we were first introduced to Borat, the Kazakhstani journalist who traveled to America in order to film a documentary. He met with a number of celebrities and heads of state for interviews where they were unaware that their interactions were all a bit for a comedy film.

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“It got two dangerous,” Baron Cohen told Entertainment Tonight. “There were a couple of times I had to put on a bulletproof vest to go and shoot a scene, and you don’t want to do that too many times in your life. I was pretty lucky to get out this time, so no, I’m not doing it again. I’m going to stay with the scripted stuff.”

In the most recently released Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Cohen recalled attending a far-right rally that created real concerns for him and his production team. They fitted him with a bullet-proof vest and production had an “amplifier” created for Cohen to hide behind if necessary.

“The night before something like that — that rally — you’re trying to go through everything that can go wrong,” he added. “In a normal scene like what we’re doing, we’re trying to make sure, ‘How do I make sure my performance is real? Have I done my research? How do I make sure the accent’s perfect?’ In this one you’re going, ‘Okay, if a bunch of guys with guns come from that side of the stage, have I got a way to get out? What happens if someone shoots me? What if a bunch of people start shooting me?’ “

“Yeah, I don’t want to do it again. I got away with it. I’m not pushing my luck again.”

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As people were preparing for a quarantine Halloween last year, Sada Baby found himself on the receiving end of Cancel Culture. Randomly, someone looked up old tweets from the “Whole Lotta Choppas” rapper, and soon, screenshots were circulating online. It seems that the controversy began after a Nicki Minaj fan page asked the rapper to promote the remix to his viral hit that featured the Queen emcee. Sada gave a snarky response, causing members of the Barbz to look through his years-old tweets where they found colorist and homophobic statements as well as tweets about sexual assault.

Sada initially was unapologetic about the scandal, but later, he returned with a video apology. During his recent interview with No Jumper, the rapper discussed being the target of Minaj’s dedicated fans. “I had to apologize and all that type of sh*t,” he said. “The crazy thing is, what I said is sh*t that I probably said, like, five times earlier that week. I think there was so much going on and her fanbase is like a cult. They like the BeeHive.”

“They went and found old ass tweets. I’m like, damn, I said that?” He was told that he should’ve pulled a preemptive strike and deleted his old messages. “I don’t use my Twitter,” Sada replied. “The label be on my Twitter, so like—but the sh*t that they found, at the time, I’m like, yeah. But I was young though… I think at one point in time on Twitter that was the thing to do at like, four o’clock in the morning,” he added. “It’s like competition to say the worst sh*t.”

Adam22 complained that nowadays, people are too sensitive and jokes are no longer as welcomed on social media because they often offend. Check out Sada Baby’s full interview with No Jumper below and let us know if you think Cancel Culture has altered the way people are able to express themselves online.

There’s about to be a blast from MTV and VH1’s pasts featured on the new streaming service, Paramount+. As studios and companies are investing more into online streaming, we’re finding that there aren’t just first-generation series popping up, but reboots are breathing new life into old favorites. It was announced today at the ViacomCBS Streaming Event presentation that Behind the Music, MTV’s Unplugged, and Yo! MTV Raps will be returning to the small screen via Paramount+. Additionally, a new unscripted series From Cradle to Stage will be premiering, as well.

“We are thrilled to re-invent some of our most storied and impactful music franchises, including Behind the Music and Yo! MTV Raps, for Paramount+,” said Bruce Gilmer, ViacomCBS President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events. “In addition, we will partner with some of the biggest names across the music industry to bring exclusive and unique content to the platform, such as Dave Grohl’s Cradle to Stage based on his mom’s critically-acclaimed book, and many more to come.”

For those that aren’t familiar with the rebooted shows, Behind the Music was a docuseries that gave insight into the lives and careers of some of our favorite artists. MTV’s Unplugged is currently airing, and is a platform for some of the most praised, stripped-down performances from popular artists; and 33 years after its initial premiere, Yo! MTV Raps returns with cyphers, live performances, and conversations about the current state of Hip Hop.

Meanwhile, the new show From Cradle to Stage arrives courtesy of Dave Grohl and is a six-part series inspired by his mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl. It’s said to be based on her critically-acclaimed book, From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars. The series will feature famed rock stars and their mothers as they take a deep dive into their relationships and stardom.

Will you be tuning in to watch any of these shows?