Hip Hop News

Bobby Shmurda was released from prison ten months earlier than anticipated, being granted his conditional release on Tuesday morning. Many are looking forward to the New York rapper’s return to music, which will come soon, but the GS9 hitmaker is taking time to reunite with his family, who he hasn’t been able to properly spend time with for the last six years.

Bobby’s mother, Leslie Pollard, has kept fans of the 26-year-old recording artist updated as he faced the judge for parole hearings over the last few years, finally getting back together with her baby boy this week. Their bittersweet reunion only took place via FaceTime for now, but they’ll be getting back together in person later today. For the time being, Pollard shared a video of her first call with Bobby on Instagram, recounting the moment.

“There are no words to explain the JOY in my [heart],” said the rapper’s mother. “God knows the way I Love my boys and I Thank him for bringing them both back to me in one piece the same way they left. I am so overwhelmed and in 6 years 2 months and 5 days and 5.5hrs I finally feel like myself again. God is so good and we are truly BLESSED!!!!”

In the video, Bobby gets outfitted with a chain as he makes his way home. “What’s up baby boy,” exclaims Pollard. “I miss you, stinky! Yo, I cannot wait to kiss you.”

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We’ll keep you posted on Bobby Shmurda’s return home, including his long-awaited reunion with Quavo of the Migos, and more. Welcome home, Bobby!

As two of the wealthiest artists in hip-hop, it’s no surprise that Jay-Z and Dr. Dre have crossed paths on more than one occasion. Having first collaborated on Vol 3…The Life & Times Of S. Carter’s “Watch Me,” produced by Irv Gotti (with whom Dre would have a heated feud years later), the pair went on to develop healthy creative chemistry. Songs like Blueprint 2’s “The Watcher 2,” Kingdom Come’s “Lost Ones,” “30 Something,” “Trouble” and “Minority Report,” and the unreleased Eminem posse cut “Syllables” emerged as a result of their partnership. 

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As two of the game’s resident big ballers, with Jay edging Dre out as hip-hop’s first and only billionaire, it’s no wonder they remain mutually appreciative of one another’s acumen. Case in point, Dre offered up the rare Instagram post celebrating Hov’s recent partnership with Moët Hennessy, a deal designed to elevate the status of Ace Of Spades. “Congratulations Jay Z!!” writes Jay, alongside an image of himself looking healthy and composed. “Dope AF!! That’s Black Excellence.” Real recognize real, as they say. 

It’s welcome to see an increased social media presence from the Good Doctor, who remains hard at work on his forthcoming Detox album. From the sound of it, he looks to be addressing many of the recent headlines surrounding his name, spitting some scathing divorce-centric bars in a recent snippet with KXNG Crooked. Perhaps we’ll see even a verse from Hov when Dre’s fourth studio album rolls around, whenever that may be. 

It seems like as the days go on, chances of decriminalization and even potential legalization of cannabis is looking more and more realistic in the United States. Following in the footsteps of numerous other states, New Jersey has become the latest to move forward with legalizing the substance for adult-use. After years of failed legislative attempts, Governor Phil Murphy signed three bills Monday that legalizes up to six ounces of recreational weed for adults. 

“As of this moment, New Jersey’s broken and indefensible marijuana laws, which permanently stained the records of many residents and short-circuited their futures, and which disproportionately hurt communities of color and failed the meaning of justice at every level, social or otherwise — are no more,” said Gov. Murphy during an afternoon briefing in Trenton before signing the bills into law.  

Murphy had promised to legalize weed in his first 100 days as governor three days ago and finally was able to see through on his promises this past November when residents voted to amend the state constitution and legalization recreational pot in the state. After the vote, however, the legislature spent months fighting over tax revenue, licensing rules, and potential penalties for people under 21 caught with the green. During this time, the state collected up to 2,000 charges for minor pot possession. 

On Monday morning (February 22), the New Jersey state Senate and Assembly held a last-minute vote that would replace potential arrests and fines for young pot smokers with verbal warnings and referrals to drug education or treatment centers instead. 

“This process may have had its fits and starts, but it is ending in the right place. And, I firmly believe, this process has ended in laws that will serve as a national model,” the gov said. The Cannabis Regulatory Commission currently has six months to crate rules and regulations before it can start accepting new licenses for recreational businesses. 

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Tekashi 6ix9ine is back on the scene, promising to be a menace for weeks to come. The controversial Brooklyn-based artist has been getting back to his old ways, dissing everybody that crosses his mind, including Lil Durk, the late King Von, and Meek Mill. With regards to his beef with Meek, 6ix9ine ran up on the rapper at a nightclub in Florida, nearly getting into a physical altercation. The fight was recorded from both sides and 6ix9ine used the footage in his new music video for “ZAZA”, his return single. That may pose an issue for him in the future.

Meek Mill and his team of lawyers are currently trying to get the video removed from the internet for using his likeness for personal gain and profit, as per a cease and desist letter that 6ix9ine shared on Instagram, which allegedly came from Meek’s office. “HOW YOU START SOMETHING YOU CANT FINISH?????” asked the loud-mouthed rapper in his post. “HE WANT TO BE TAKEN OUT THE VIDEO BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE LAUGHING AT HIM.”

In the letter, Meek’s lawyer addresses Create Music Group, Tekashi’s label, and alleges that 6ix9ine is using unlawfully exploiting Meek’s likeness for commercial benefit without his authorization or consent. They are asking for the video to be removed from all public platforms as a result.

As it stands, the video was taken down from YouTube and made unlisted, so only people with the link can watch. It currently stands at 29 million total views. If you haven’t watched it and you’re curious, check it out below. 

Young Thug has earned respect for his solo musical output, a discography that includes projects like Barter 6, Jeffery, Beautiful Thugger Girls, and his proper studio debut So Much Fun. And while not everyone has embraced what the eclectic rap chameleon has to offer, many have embraced him for the champion of originality that he is. As such, the anticipation for Young Thug’s upcoming project, tentatively titled Punk though that’s likely to have changed by now, has reached an all-time high.

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Though Thug originally indicated that Punk would be arriving shortly after So Much Fun dropped in late 2019, he has since reevaluated his position. At the moment, it’s altogether uncertain as to when he intends on dropping, though a recent Instagram post certainly suggests that he’s looking to kick off a rollout. “Comment 100k SLATT’s if u want the album,” he teases, inviting his fans to mobilize and voice their excitement, a request that was swiftly acquiesced. 

It should be noted that there currently stands no indication that he’s actually talking about Punk (or whatever it ends up being titled), as the YSL compilation album Slime Language 2 is also due for an imminent release. It’s highly probable that we’ll see that album arrive long before Thugger’s next solo effort, as Slime Language 2 has already yielded a pair of singles in Young Thug, Gunna, & Yak Gotti’s “Take It To Trial” and “GFU” with Yak Gotti, Yung Kayo, & Sheck Wes. Still, you’d think Thug would be eager to return to the fold with whatever he’s been cooking — either way, something is coming from the Atlanta rapper. 

At the end of last month, numerous women came forward with allegations of sex trafficking and abuse against T.I. and Tiny Harris after Atlanta entrepreneur and friend of the couple Sabrina Peterson detailed her abuse at the hands of T.I. on social media. She later went on to share stories from alleged victims of the couple who made even more alarming accusations against the couple. In some new developments in the allegations, despite two of the sexual abuse accusers recruiting high profile lawyer Lisa Bloom, no lawsuits against the couple have been filed as of yesterday (February 22). 

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Sources close to the couple told theJasmineBRAND that the couple, “is not currently under investigation and no lawsuits have been filed.” The source added that despite the serious allegations, police and authorities have yet to contact them regarding the claims. 

Filming for their VH1 reality TV show T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle remains on hold as the allegations remain active. A spokesperson for parent company MTV Entertainment said in a statement earlier in the month that they were aware of the allegations against the couple and have reached out to both them and local and state officials. They continued, “Given the serious nature of the allegations, we have decided to suspend production in order to gather more information.”

Last week, friend of the couple and Tiny’s Xscape groupmate Kandi Burruss jumped to their defense in an interview with Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live. She explained, “I don’t like when people start rumors on folks and I would like for society to stop [being] so quick to try to make somebody guilty without taking the time to get [information] or anything. So, I don’t like what’s happening right now and I’ll just leave it at that.”

She ended with, “What I will say is, Tiny is my sister and I have never personally seen her doing any of that.”

We’ll keep you updated as the situation develops.  

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