Hip Hop News Archives - Page 27 of 15766

Today in Hip-Hop History: RZA Released His Debut Solo LP ‘Bobby Digital In Stereo’ 26 Years Ago

November 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

On this day in Hip Hop history in 1998, the leader of the world-renowned Wu-Tang Clan released his first solo album Bobby Digital In Stereo.

This project came late in RZA’s career after the success of the Wu-Tang Clan had been plentiful. Serving as a soundtrack to an unreleased blaxploitation martial arts film by RZA titled Bobby Digital: The Digital Bullet, the project featured a new experimental sound that was not like the usual edgy street vibe that Wu-Tang solidified in the game.

The album went gold, selling 500,000 copies by 1999, and received mixed reviews from music critics. For this album, RZA utilized a different production and vocal style. Instead of the sample-heavy beats that made his production popular throughout the 90s on fellow Wu-Tang Clan members’ projects, this project was composed of mostly keyboard-driven sounds which Bob Digi eloquently called the “Digital Orchestra”.

The inspiration for this album came from RZA’s love for comic books and yearning to live out his childhood dream of becoming a superhero in the projects. The lyrics of the project follow a loose storyline of RZA’s endeavors as Bobby Digital. His goal as Bobby Digital was to enlighten the people of the project to the poisons of the hood that surrounded them every day.

He created Bobby Digital to personify his wild and crazy life before his musical success because, during the growth of the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA became a musical hermit and spent the majority of his time perfecting his craft and not out enjoying the spoils of his lifestyle. Bobby Digital served as a sort of cathartic alter ego through whom RZA could unleash a side of himself that had laid dormant during his rise to fame and search for enlightenment.

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SZA Vowed To Release A New Album ‘Before The Year Is Over’ During Kai Cenat Stream Appearance

November 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

SZA 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards (1024x437) — Getty Image

In 2022, SZA released her long-awaited sophomore album SOS. Since then the chart-topping body of work has continued to set or break records. But, the “Kill Bill” singer doesn’t plan on taking another five year gap between projects.

Yesterday (November 23), SZA teased the projected timeline of her next project. During her appearance on Kai Cenat‘s livestream, SZA
promised to release her highly anticipated follow-up (viewable here). When asked about when supporters should expect it, SZA replied: “It’ll be out before the year is over.”

The announcement shocked Kai, Lizzo (who was also a special guest on the stream), and users online. SZA didn’t share any further information about the forthcoming album. However, many believe the album in question Lana, the at one-time deluxe version of SOS.

Earlier in the month, SZA gave British Vogue an update about Lana.

“I think I am making music from a more beautiful place. From a more possible place versus a more angsty place,” she said. “I’m not identifying with my brokenness. It’s not my identity. It’s shit that happened to me. Yeah, I experienced cruelty. I have to put it down at some point. Piece by piece, my music is shifting because of that, the lighter I get.”

After supposedly scrapping a version of the project due to leaks, Lana has experience several setbacks. Fortunately for SZA supporters, she seemingly powered through.

Kendrick Lamar & Mustard Have Another Hit With The Thought-Provoking “Tv Off”

November 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Kendrick Lamar and Mustard are cooking with fish grease once again, this time on “tv off.” This collaboration follows the incredible and historic success of “Not Like Us,” the dagger diss record from the tense beef with Drake. It finds a home on K. Dot’s brand-new surprise album GNX which hit streaming out of the blue on Friday, November 22. This is a great way to capitalize on the hype of the aforementioned West Coast anthem, but also to build upon these two’s chemistry going forward.

“tv off” might seem very similar to “Not Like Us” on the surface, especially with the triumphant horn sections and contagious energy. However, the lyrical content is a great contrast and secretly plays into the track’s theme of deceit, superficiality, and more. Lamar mentioned on “The Day The Party Died” how he wanted to reset the culture that we are experiencing in rap right now. This GNX cut almost feels like a pseudo-sequel in some ways, as he mentions how social media ruins people’s perceptions, society’s questionable decisions and how they impact the world, and more. It might a stretch on our part, but this is what Kendrick’s music allows for.

“Tv Off” – Kendrick Lamar & Lefty Gunplay

Quotable Lyrics:

Tryna show n****s the ropes before they hung from a rope
I’m prophetic, they only talk about it how I get it
Only good for saving face, seen the cosmetics
How many heads I gotta take to level my aesthetics?
Hurry up and get your muscle up, we out the plyometric
Nicarana by the lux, soon as I up the highest metric

[Via]

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Diddy’s Potential Home Buyer Unwilling To Budge On Lowball Offer

November 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Earlier this month, TMZ reported that Diddy was having a difficult time selling his Beverly Hills mansion, which went up for sale in September. According to the outlet, “only a few” potential buyers walked through the home, but most felt that it had an “ick factor” due to all of the disturbing allegations the mogul is currently facing. Moreover, Diddy is asking for $60 million for the property. This is over $20 million more than he paid for the home back in 2014. It’s since raised eyebrows among realtors.

Last week, Bo Belmont of Belwood Investments announced that he’d finally put in an offer. He’s only offering $30 million for the home, however. TMZ reports that Belmont plans on sticking to his guns when it comes to the price. In fact, he even vows to take money off the table if his initial offer is turned down. As for what Belmont plans to do with the property, he tells the outlet that he’d completely transform it so it looks and feels nothing like it did when Diddy was living there.

Bo Belmont Insists Diddy’s Home Is Not Worth $60 Million

Diddy’s Potential Home Buyer Unwilling To Budge On Lowball Offer — Mar 27, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sean “Diddy” Combs intoduces a tribute to “The Godfather” during the 94th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre. Robert Hanashiro / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If Belmont’s offer is accepted, it won’t be the first property he takes off a celebrity’s hands. Recently, he also purchased Kanye West’s former home in Malibu. The Chicago rapper had allegedly started transforming the property into a bomb shelter, but ultimately, never followed through with his plans. He sold it to Belmont and his company for $21 million in August, a whopping $36 million less than he originally purchased it for in 2021.

Following the sale, Belmont criticized the changes Ye had already made to the home, making it clear that he was not a fan. “That was a really d*mb move. Really no purpose,” he said in part at the time. “He single-handedly destroyed this architectural masterpiece. My goal is to make it as though Kanye was never there.”

[Via]

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Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” Takes Over Apple & Spotify

November 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

This weekend, Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album, GNX, has been the only music topic. Since its release on Friday morning (Nov. 22), both Apple Music and Spotify have charted all 12 songs. NFR Podcast shared a screenshot of both charts on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday (Nov. 24). “Squabble Up,” originally previewed in July, sits at the top of both charts. After that, both charts have mixed rankings of the tracklist, with “wacced out murals” being #2 on Apple and “luther,” featuring SZA, at #2 on Spotify.

GNX is believed to have the biggest first-week sales in 2024, which will be revealed in a week. The album adds to Kendrick Lamar’s massive year with hit songs “Not Like Us” and “Euphoria” breaking several records. Both tracks were submitted for Grammy nominations with “Not Like Us” earning seven nominations. While “wacced out murals” was teased in the music video, “Not Like Us” and “Euphoria” do not appear on GNX. Another Mustard-produced track appears on the new album after the two delivered “Not Like Us.”

Kendrick Lamar’s Surprise Album Dominates The Charts

The first official release on his PgLang imprint, Lamar unites Los Angeles hip-hop once again with features by emerging stars Lefty Gunplay, Wallie The Sensei, Hitta J3, Peysoh, and Roddy Ricch. The album is produced by longtime Lamar producer Soundwav and Taylor Swift producer Jack Antonoff. SZA and Lamar duet on a few tracks, including the fan favorite “luther.” SZA’s past collaborations with Lamar include the chart-topping hit “All The Stars” from the Black Panther soundtrack.

Lamar’s latest release has created many social media trends outside the charts. Yelling “Mustard on “tv off” has created a season of memes that include McDonald’s “honey mustard” tweet. Fan-made videos have used the popular line using classic moments from various pop culture shows such as Dragonball Z, Boondocks, Peanuts, and more. As a result of the new fanfare, Mustard has been resharing all the content on his social media accounts.

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Blueface Debuts Shocking New Face Tattoos Amid Prison Stay

November 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

It’s been a while since fans have heard any big news about Blueface. This is mostly due to the fact that he’s currently behind bars. The “Thotiana” rapper turned himself in earlier this year for an alleged parole violation. Unfortunately, it looks like he’ll be in jail for at least another few months. That hasn’t stopped him from making major changes, however, namely to his appearance. In new footage that surfaced online today, he looks to have gotten some new face tattoos.

The last time supporters saw him, he didn’t appear to have nearly as much ink on his face as he does now. At the time of writing, it remains unclear whether or not the tattoos are temporary or the real deal. Either way, the footage has sparked concern among social media users, who are now comparing him to Chrisean Rock. For those who don’t recall, she debuted a huge tattoo of Blueface’s face on her cheek after he was arrested.

Blueface Seemingly Gets New Ink Behind Bars

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A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom)

While Blueface is wrapped up in his legal issues, Chrisean seems to have been caring for his youngest child Chrisean Jesus, who they welcomed in September of 2023. She’s dealt with her own fair share of issues with the law in recent months, but now, it looks like she’s committed to staying on a better path. For now, it’s unclear whether or not Blueface plans to do the same when he’s released.

It’s also uncertain exactly when he’ll be able to reunite with his family, but he seems hopeful that it won’t be too much longer. In October, his official Instagram account shared a post hinting at a potential release date. “I’ll Ce Out JULY Don’t Bink!!!!!” it read. This got fans’ hopes up, as it was previously reported that he could be in jail for up to four years.

[Via]

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Kendrick Lamar & SZA Make Magic On Our New “R&B Season” Playlist Update: Stream

November 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Welcome back to our R&B Season playlist, the latest update for which has some of the very best genre-adjacent releases that came out this week. We have a big release to talk about that you’ve probably already bumped, and that’s obviously the new Kendrick Lamar album, GNX. While it’s mostly pretty fiery songs and performances, there are some softer cuts on here that are also excellent, two of which feature SZA. “luther” in particular is a very tender, woozy, and calming jam with a wonderful sample flip, gorgeous progressions, and some awesome interplay between both vocalists that we loved to hear back from after so long.

Next up is the new single from Savannah Ré, “Sex With My Ex.” As you can probably tell from the title, it’s a pretty conflicted push-and-pull lyrically, and one whose soft piano keys and often intruding sample kind of reflect that sense of complication. The vocal performance is pretty smoky, but it definitely has its more impressive runs that emphasize Ré’s melodies. Overall, it’s a pretty dark and sensual cut that might’ve benefitted from more involved percussion, but their stark sound as it is works just fine, too.

HNHH R&B Season Playlist: Update

Finally, we wanted to give a shoutout to the Unlocked edition of the British R&B group FLO’s latest album, Access All Areas. They have some interesting remixes, guest performances, and re-imaginings that weren’t there on the original effort, including some fitting and charismatic performances from the Bailey sisters, Chlöe and Halle, on a new version of “Soft.” It’s exactly what it sounds like, as light snaps, simple synth pads, and tight vocal harmonies give a lot of boisterous flair to an otherwise pleasant soundscape.

However, if you’re looking for something more lyrically involved and hard-hitting, make sure to stay up to date on all the latest hip-hop releases. To check out new cuts from Cordae’s latest album The Crossroads and more hot singles like Ray Vaughn and Isaiah Rashad’s new collab, check out our Fire Emoji playlist update from last week in the “Read More” section down below. Also, let us know what your favorite R&B Season pick was this week, as well as what else we missed, down in the comments. Check the playlist out above and, as always, come back to HNHH for more killer music drops around the clock.

[via]

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J Cole Officially Releases The Song That Got Him Signed To Jay-Z, “Lights Please”

November 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

J Cole has been fulfilling fans’ aspirations over the last few days since dropping his audio series, Inevitable. People were hoping that the North Carolina luminary would reissue some of his earliest works of his career once they saw the titles of some of the episodes. “The Come Up” went on to spawn his first mixtape that same day. Then, on Friday, he would drop off want many view to be his first true classic project, The Warm Up (2009). It’s also one of his most important releases of his journey to superstardom thanks to some key tracks.

“Lights Please,” also one of his earliest hits, was essentially the record that convinced the almighty JAY-Z to sign J Cole to Roc Nation. We can see why this was the one to win him over, as the wordplay and storytelling are top notch. The frustrating accounts of the Dreamville boss being with a woman who only wants her desires met while he tries to develop the relationship by sharing his dreams and stresses is heartbreaking. Because of this, it’s one of Cole’s best “love” records too, if you even want to call it that. There’s no wonder why he put this on The Sideline Story just two years later.

“Lights Please” – J Cole

Quotable Lyrics:

I told her all about how we been livin’ a lie
And that they love to see us all go to prison or die
Like, “Baby, look at how they show us on the TV screen”
But all she ever want me to do is unzip her jeans
Then all I really want is for her to get on top
Before you know it, she workin’, jerkin’ it nonstop

[Via]

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Bhad Bhabie Pops Out With Her Boyfriend Le Vaughn For First Time Since Cancer Diagnosis

November 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Bhad Bhabie shocked her followers a few weeks ago when she revealed she was taking cancer medication, which obviously prompted a lot of worries. But it seems like she is getting in better spirits and stepping out for her daily routine, strolling around with her boyfriend Le Vaughn in Calabasas on Friday (November 22) in the first photos that emerged since the news of her cancer diagnosis broke. If you want to check the pictures out, you can click on the “Via” link down below. It seems like they were having a great time, which is heartening to see after they’ve gone through a lot together, and allegedly at each other’s hands.

For those unaware, Bhad Bhabie had accused Le Vaughn of domestic violence earlier this year. “I wasn’t gonna speak on this but who said I was staying?” she previously stated, which is apparently not the case anymore. “What about that post made y’all think I’m staying? Bc I said I love him? Bc I said he’s gonna get help? I’m so confused and apparently so are yall.” “She did that for a reason, I ain’t do that. If I did that she wouldn’t be with me,” Le Vaughn responded to the allegations.

Bhad Bhabie Performing In Fort Lauderdale

Bhad Bhabie Cancer Boyfriend Le Vaughn Outside Pictures Hip Hop News — FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – AUGUST 26: Danielle Bregoli, known professionally as Bhad Bhabie, performs onstage during TBT Magazine Social Media Edition Powered By Berman Law at Sway Nightclub on August 26, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images for TBT Magazine Powered By Berman Law Group)

Elsewhere, fans are still talking about Bhad Bhabie’s cancer diagnosis, which some people did not respectfully react to. “How dare you – you little vile piece of s**t – say my daughter would lie about something like that?” her mother ranted against someone who thought the rapper is faking everything. “You’re a dad… How many children did you have through a surrogate? I’m not even sure. You need to focus on them and not mine. Go find another way to make some money instead of talking s**t about other people. Is this the only way you can make money, talking s**t about people? How dare you!”

Meanwhile, at least Bhad Bhabie and Le Vaughn are finding small and personal moments to celebrate amid all the drama, such as the latter’s recent birthday. Hopefully she continues to recover well and be successful on that journey, and that they continue to heal.

[via]

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Wack 100 & DJ Hed Defend Kendrick Lamar Against The Haters Dragging New Album “GNX”

November 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

With his new album GNX, Kendrick Lamar clearly sought to draw a line in the sand, and a lot of people responded in kind. While it obviously garnered a lot of critical acclaim and love from fans, there were plenty of people who didn’t like the new project for a whole host of reasons. During a social media live session, commentator Luce Cannon called K.Dot overrated and claimed that his music doesn’t resonate with large audiences like international communities or with social gatherings like clubs or gyms. Wack 100 and DJ Hed combated these ideas with some evidence and arguments of their own, and it was a conversation that has already been exhausted so much in 2024.

Regardless, a lot of people are very excited about GNX, including some of Kendrick Lamar’s collaborators for the album. “I had no idea what I would record,” singer Deyra Barrera told Rolling Stone. “I make mariachi, not rap. They told me they wanted my style, my voice. I had no idea how it was going to end up on the record. He welcomed me and was so kind. He said, ‘You have such a powerful voice. Thanks for coming.’ I had no idea what to say. Lamar is a genius, a maestro. Everything he makes is magic.”

Wack 100 & DJ Hed Are Riding For Kendrick Lamar

Wack100 and dj head defending Kendrick Lamar after 600 and Luce cannon call him overrated and his music doesn’t travel internationally. The clubs and the gyms ain’t listening to kdot pic.twitter.com/L7gR6BgNS1

— joebuddenclips/fanpage (@Chatnigga101) November 23, 2024

In addition, Kendrick Lamar’s words on GNX even convinced people seemingly on the fence to hop over to his side much more firmly. Snoop Dogg, for example, praised the new record after Kendrick’s bars for Tha Doggfather on the opening track, “wacced out murals.” “Snoop posted ‘Taylor Made,’ I prayed it was the edibles / I couldn’t believe it, it was only right for me to let it go,” the Compton lyricist rapped on the cut.

As GNX continues to spread in pop culture, we’re sure many more people will debate Kendrick Lamar’s worth and the weight of this new album. They always make for very interesting discussions, even though they will probably never be peaceful conversations again. But hey, that’s just how rap battles go sometimes, especially between the two most massive MCs today. Let’s see what else people argue about…

[via]

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