Hip Hop News

Justin Bieber Previews A New ‘Justice’ Song In A Stripped-Down Tiny Desk Concert

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With anticipation for his new album Justice reaching its peak, Justin Bieber delivers a stripped-down, at-home Tiny Desk Concert to preview one of the most eagerly anticipated songs from the upcoming album. Although Daniel Caesar and Giveon were unable to appear, fans get to hear a version of “Peaches” featuring Justin on keys and some light scratching from his DJ, Jay James. The performance also opens with a Chance The Rapper-less version of “Holy” and features “Hold On” and “Anyone,” also from Justice.

Justin previously revealed the latter two songs during the months-long rollout for his new album, debuting “Anyone” in a livestream concert for Spotify and releasing a neo-noir-styled music video for “Hold On.” He also later released a video for “Anyone,” harkening to classic boxing dramas in a narrative video that required three hours of makeup to hide his tattoos. “Holy” is, of course, the best-known track he performs here, after Justin used the new song and its cinematic music video to usher in a “new era” back in September of 2020. He also performed the song during his October appearance on Saturday Night Live and offered an acoustic remix with an accompanying, bare-bones video. Now, the wait is nearly at its end; Justice drops 3/19 via Def Jam.

Watch Justin Bieber’s Tiny Desk Concert above.

Bobby Shmurda’s Mom Shares Pre-‘Hot N*gga’ ’14 Selfie Pic

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New York rapper Bobby Shmurda‘s mom knows the importance of dates. The hip-hop star’s day one has come forward to acknowledge the seven-year anniversary of his “Hot N*gga” anthem dropping. Bobby Shmurda’s Mom Shares Rare Pic Mama Shmurda hit up Instagram with the must-see shot. The pic features both of them together on March 17, […]

The post Bobby Shmurda’s Mom Shares Pre-‘Hot N*gga’ ’14 Selfie Pic appeared first on SOHH.com.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Wants Ella Back After Their Public Instagram Breakup

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A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Ella Band’s relationship has been on a rather rocky road for the past few months. After the birth of their second child last summer, Ella made some eye-opening comments on Twitter about wanting to be single in February. Soon after that, at the beginning of March, Boogie used his Instagram Story to reveal that he was no longer in a relationship with the mother of his children, although he made it sound like it had been his idea, thus provoking Ella’s ire. 

“As much as I don’t wanna admit it, I don’t deserve @slaybyella_,” he wrote for the world to see in his IG story, “You have a beautiful long life ahead of you and I don’t wanna be the reason you’re not happy. Be free. Go be what you truly want to be.” 

Just moments after the post, Ella wasted no time to let the world know it was actually her idea to breakup. Bands responded to the “Mood Swings” rapper with her own IG story, reposting Boogie’s original message and adding “Lmao we already talked about this in real life and it was my idea. Why he coming on Instagram with it like he setting me free. Boy, go to hell.”

Now, less than a week after all of this broke out over Instagram, A Boogie is seemingly missing Ella already. The New York native shared a boomerang post on Instagram of a Celine hat with the caption, “I’m ballin but I miss her,” subtly but clearly referring to his ex.

Now fans are waiting for Ella’s next move. Will we see the the couple revive their relationship or will Ella clap back, again? 

Snoop Dogg’s Ex-Bodyguard Recounts Fatal Shooting To Protect Rapper

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Snoop Dogg’s entire career could’ve been derailed if he didn’t beat the 1993 murder charge. He and his bodyguard were ultimately acquitted of the charges but rarely has either party divulged the details of what led up to the fatal shooting of Philip Woldemariam. During a recent interview with Cam Capone News, Snoop’s former bodyguard McKinley Lee Jr. tearfully shared his side of the story in explaining how the media portrayed them in the wrong light while authorities knew the truth about the incident. 


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Lee explained that he was at Snoop Dogg’s place when he heard a disturbance going on outside which he found out to be a man arguing with someone from their team. Lee said that he saw a man in the vehicle before a firearm was popping out of the window of the car. Lee said that he took Snoop upstairs and tried to simmer things down before it got too heated. 

Lee said that they eventually left for the studio with their Sean Abrams until they realized that they forgot something at Snoop’s place so they were forced to turn around. That’s when a man flagged them down and tried to apologize for the confrontation earlier, explaining that his friend’s behavior stemmed from a diabetic episode. “When Snoop pulled over, I take my gun and I set it on my lap,” Lee said. “And Snoop was in the driver seat and now I’m looking to my right because the guy is backing up and as he’s backing up, I have my gun on my lap. He’s backing all the way up to the cement and there’s a slight incline on the hill. And he kept backing up so now he’s approximately — I’d say — fifteen, twenty feet away from me,” he continued.


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“All of a sudden, the bushes flutter and you see somebody run out of the bushes and it was Philip Woldemariam at the time,” Lee recalled. “He runs and he gets to his guy and his guy grabs him. He pushes him away and when he pushes, he lifts his shirt and he reaches. When I saw him start to reach, that’s when I took my gun and I fired.” Lee said that he was trying to keep Snoop Dogg out of harm’s way and tried to hit Woldemariam’s lower body but because they were on an incline, the bullet went through his hip and shoulder areas. Lee explained six shots were fired and Woldemariam began running before collapsing 50 to 75 yards away from the shooting. 

Lee concluded that he doesn’t like to glorify the situation or even discuss the situation, adding that he would like to make peace with Woldemariam’s family, even though he knows that it is unlikely.

Check the full clip below.

[Via]

Action Bronson’s ‘F*ck That’s Delicious’ Returns For An Independently Produced Season 5

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There are two ways of looking at Action Bronson’s transformation during the quarantine. You could say he’s experienced some tremendous weight loss, but I prefer to think of it as him making health gains. The Queens, New York chef-turned-rapper focused on making some big life changes thanks to the pandemic shutdown, and he appears delighted to show them off in the season five premiere of his now independently-produced food travel show, F*ck That’s Delicious.

You could call Bronson a prophet of sorts watching this season. He was one of many nationally-known artists harping on ownership and diverse revenue streams pretty early on in the blog era/streaming revolution. He did the latter by starting F*ck That’s Delicious in partnership with Viceland, but he insisted on ensuring the former, which allowed him to retain the show and move it online, which further secured the additional outlet as live touring shut down across America. It’s a pretty impressive thing.

In the first episode of the new season, he cooks up stuffed, Sicilian-style calamari with his trainer outside the gym and details his commitment to transforming his body and getting healthy. His progress is stupendous; he looks way different than he did when he was promoting last year’s Only For Dolphins. He and trainer Dave Paladino talk about how his efforts over the last five months may have saved his life. Then, as only befits the man named Bam Bam Baklava, they eat good.

Watch the season premiere of F*ck That’s Delicious above.

John Legend Condemns The ‘Horrible’ Atlanta Shootings And Calls For A Reckoning For Asian Americans

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On Tuesday evening, a gunman in Atlanta took the lives of eight people, six of whom were Asian American, at three different massage parlors. The tragedy is believed by many to be racially-motivated and is an unfortunate example of an increased number of hate crimes against Asian Americans that have taken place since the pandemic’s outbreak. Many are calling for an awareness of anti-Asian violence, and John Legend is now the latest celebrity to speak out against the “horrible” news.

According to non-profit organization Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate, nearly 3,800 incidents of violence have been reported since the pandemic. Following the news of the tragic Atlanta shooting, many have shared an outpouring of support for the families affected and their fellow Asian American community members who fear for their own safety.

John Legend, whose wife Chrissy Teigan has a mother from Thailand, took to Twitter to condemn the crimes. “Absolutely horrible,” he wrote. “Sending love to all the loved ones of those whose lives were taken. Our nation needs to reckon with the increased threats being directed at our Asian-American brothers and sisters.”

Lana Condor, singer/songwriter and actor in Netflix’s popular film To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, similarly used her platform to spread awareness. “Wake up… your Asian friends and family are deeply scared, horrified, sick to their stomachs and wildly angry,” she wrote. “Please please please check in on us, please please please stand with us. Please. Your Asian friend needs you, even if they aren’t publicly grieving on social media.”

Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner also posted her thoughts on the upsetting news and shared several examples of racism she and her fellow Asian Americans have faced. “We are white adjacent until we are not,” she wrote. “Til someone calls us a chink, or mocks an accent, claims we started this virus from eating dogs and bats, attacks our elders, targets and kills us. Dunno wtf it does to say stop AAPI [Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders] hate but it is important to acknowledge this is very real.”

Boosie Asks For Prayers After Cancer Check-Up

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Boosie Badazz famously beat kidney cancer after revealing his diagnosis in November 2015. The rap legend, who also was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes during childhood, had successful surgery to remove the cancer and, since then, he’s remained cancer-free. 

As a means to preserve his health, Boosie needs to be examined on an annual basis to ensure that he’s still cancer-free. On Wednesday morning, the rapper visited a Texas-area hospital for his check-up, documenting his visit on social media and asking his fans and family to pray for him as he currently awaits his results.

“Annual cancer check-up. I gotta come every year,” said Boosie in a video posted to Instagram. “Gotta say a prayer for me. I already said a hundred prayers. We’re still gon’ be cancer-free.” He followed up that post with a second video from the waiting room, updating his fans and saying that he hasn’t yet received his results.

Boosie currently hasn’t revealed whether he’s still cancer-free. We’re praying for him and his continued good health. We will keep you updated with more news as the day goes by.

The rapper has been open with fans about his health struggles. On more than one occasion, he has sought the help of his supporters to procure insulin to treat his diabetes.


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Say a prayer for Boosie in the comments.

Hour-Long Versions Of Post Malone And Ariana Grande Songs Are Coming Via The Calm App

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It was reported in 2019 that the average length of a song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart was three-and-a-half minutes and that songs that run for under three minutes are becoming increasingly common. So, in general, songs are getting shorter, but now meditation app Calm and Universal Music Group (UMG) taking things in the opposite direction, as they have announced a series of remixed songs that will push their lengths up to an hour.

This Friday (March 19, which is World Sleep Day), Calm will release seven extended tracks: Ariana Grande’s “Breathin’,” Jhené Aiko’s “While We’re Young,” Kacey Musgraves’ “Golden Hour,” Katy Perry’s “Double Rainbow,” Luis Fonsi’s “Sola,” Post Malone’s “Circles,” and Shawn Mendes’ “Wonder.” For three months, the hour-long tracks will be exclusive to the app, but after that, UMG will be allowed to share the songs to streaming platforms.

Calm co-founder and co-CEO Michael Acton Smith told Rolling Stone, “The problem with most music is it’s quite short: When built for the streaming era or even the radio era, it’s three or four minutes long. Even if something is really soothing, you can’t always get into a flow state and drift off to sleep. You have a song for a few minutes and then you go onto the next one and the next one.” He added of the new remixes, “If they’re boring, you’re [less likely] to play them in the first place, and we want your attention. We want you stop thinking about your to-do lists and that silly comment you made at work.”

Courtney Phillips, Calm’s Head of Music also noted, “I was just on a call with an artist’s team talking about tracks. I asked, ‘Would it be cool if he made longer versions?’ And they were like, “Oh my god, he’s been killing us! We keep trying to get him to shorten these down because they’re so long. He would love to make a longer version.’ That’s what we want to be here for. We want to give artists that creative freedom, let them think out of the box and go, ‘Yes! I get to make something really weird, long, and beautiful.” She added, “We didn’t have any comments at all from any of our artists not liking the final mixes. Not one.”

Elliot Page Covers Time & Reveals He Has Undergone Top Surgery

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Last December, “Umbrella Academy” and “Juno” star Elliot Page revealed that he is transgender, and ever since, the entertainment industry has been supportive of the announcement regarding his identity as well as his journey throughout his transition. Months later, Page has now landed the cover of Time Magazine’s March/April issue, and he is using his platform to give insight into his transition, dispel stigmas surrounding transgender people, and advocate for trans equality.

Elliot Page‘s appearance in Time’s new issue marks his first interview since making his announcement in December, and throughout the piece, he reveals that he has undergone top surgery, a procedure also known as male chest reconstruction that removes breast tissue and reconstructs the remaining chest tissue and skin. According to TMZ, Elliot was still recovering from the surgery in Toronto when he made his announcement last December. 

When detailing the surgery and all of the changes happening throughout his transition, Elliot reveals that the entire process has felt right for him. However, the actor reveals that surgery may not be necessary or affordable for every transgender person, dispelling stigmas and media depictions of the trans experience that are rooted in cosmetic alterations.

In one of the most important tidbits from the Time cover feature, Elliot Page reveals that he finally feels like himself when he looks in the mirror, saying, “I’m fully who I am.”

[via]