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T.I. And Tiny Respond To An LAPD Investigation Of Their Alleged Drugging And Sexual Assault

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In recent months, two more women have come forward and accused T.I. and his wife Tiny of sexual misconduct. The alleged incidents took place in 2005 and 2010, with both women accusing the couple of drugging and sexually assaulting them. Now, LAPD has launched an investigation into the reports and T.I. and Tiny’s lawyers have responded.

The New York Times first reported allegations of sexual assault back in late February, claiming lawyer Tyrone A. Blackburn represented eleven women who claim they’ve been victimized by the couple. The two additional women are also being represented by Blackburn, and according to Billboard and The Daily Beast, the attorney has successfully pressured the LAPD to open an investigation into the incident that allegedly took place in 2005. The accuser claims T.I. drugged her drink before she was taken to a hotel room and sexually assaulted after repeatedly refusing the couple’s advances.

Responding to the reports of LAPD’s investigation, T.I. and Tiny’s lawyer Steve Sadow issued a statement on behalf of the couple:

“The Harrises have not spoken to or been contacted by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the Las Vegas Police Department (LVPD) or, indeed, any member of law enforcement from any other jurisdiction in the country. Even assuming the story in the Daily Beast is close to accurate, it appears the LAPD ‘accuser’ has chosen once again to remain anonymous, thereby preventing us from being in a position to disprove or refute her allegations – or even examine them. Meanwhile, although we now appear for the first time to have the name of an ‘accuser’ who supposedly filed a police report with LVPD, we have absolutely zero details about her or her claim.”

Smino Begins His ‘New Journey’ With The Nourishing ‘Rice & Gravy’

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St. Louis rapper Smino is back with a new song, “Rice & Gravy,” which he calls the beginning of a new journey. Releasing the single with a minimum of fanfare, Smino seemed to reveal a change in his label situation with a tweet just before the new song’s release. “dawg I went thru so much bullsht tryna release music over da past couple years,” he wrote. “I’m jus happy af to begin my new journey tonite… I feel like a brand new artist rn.”

He may feel like a new artist, but “Rice & Gravy” is vintage Smino, with a glitchy, synth-and-bass beat produced by Monte Booker and a rubberband flow that springs between melodic and staccato cadences delivered in Smi’s signature, grits-thick St. Louis accent. Longtime fans will surely be satisfied with this recipe, and anyone who has been awaited a follow-up to Smino’s 2018 album Noir may be excited to learn that he’s once again in the driver’s seat of his own release schedule.

Despite whatever troubles he’s had in getting new music out, Smino has tried to stay busy, featuring on tracks from Thundercat (“Dragonball Durag Remix” with Guapdad 4000), and his recently discovered cousin Denzel Curry (“So.Incredible.Pkg” with Kenny Beats and Robert Glasper), working with his Zoink Gang compatriots Buddy, Guapdad, and JID, and dropping the surprise quarantine tape She Already Decided.

Listen to Smino’s “Rice & Gravy” above.

Mulatto’s Long-Awaited Name Change Is Finally Official

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It looks like Atlanta rapper Mulatto’s long-awaited name change is finally official, as first Apple Music and now Spotify, reflect her new, slightly less problematic moniker. While many fans expected her to start going by her nickname “Big Latto” — which also doubled as the title of her second EP — she went for a bigger chop, reducing that nickname down to simply “Latto.” It also appears she’s got new music coming soon to celebrate.

This marks the second time she shortened her nom de guerre after knocking her name down from “Miss Mulatto,” the title under which she appeared on Lifetime’s The Rap Game, where she won the show’s first season. Unfortunately, due to the historical implications of the term “Mulatto,” her increased profile over the past year also brought increased scrutiny and criticism, which she addressed at multiple points over the year, including in an exclusive profile with Uproxx, in which she explained:

“It’s not about me comparing my ‘struggles of being mixed’ to any other skin tone, any other race, anything like that. It’s just simply me explaining my story. I did experience a different type of upbringing having two completely different cultures. One side of my family cooked this way, talked this way, celebrate this way, traditions is this way, and then one of the sides is different, and as a kid, I was just confused and kind of had to find my way in my identity. It’s just about an experience, and flipping that negative into something positive.”

Some fans still couldn’t see it that way, especially after Latto made some public missteps in addressing the criticism. Now that her name change is official — at least on streaming services, if not social media, where the process can be a bit more complicated — we’ll see if she can dodge continued opprobrium as her star continues to rise. Check out some screenshots of the artist’s revamped title on Spotify and Apple Music

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Joe Budden Addresses Oliva Dope’s Sexual Harassment Accusations: ‘I Apologize Sincerely’

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Just a day after former Joe Budden Podcast Network host Olivia Dope accused the network’s namesake of sexual harassment, Budden himself has responded, saying he takes accountability and apologizes. Dope left Budden’s podcast network after he made lewd comments toward her while taping her show See, the Thing Is…, just months after the show’s launch in October of 2020. She explained why she left in an Instagram video detailing the comments and calling the experience “embarrassing” and “traumatizing.”

According to Rolling Stone, Budden has since issued a statement in which he addressed the power imbalance inherent to his sexual remarks as Olivia’s former boss, and claimed to support “all women’s rights to feel comfortable and protected in the workplace.”

You can read the full statement below.

As a podcaster, it is my job to address topics and create dialogue around them. During the conversation on the See, The Thing Is podcast I didn’t handle the topics with the sensitivity they deserved. I recognize my words and power in that situation created an upsetting environment for Olivia. Upon reflection, both the network and I take accountability for this. I apologize sincerely to Olivia, her former co-hosts, our staff, and the public. In an effort to not further any trauma, the episode will be removed from all platforms. We support all women’s rights to feel comfortable and protected in the workplace. We fell short of that in this instance. We support Olivia in her quest to heal, applaud her for finding the strength to share her experience, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors. I am taking the time to listen and learn; we have already begun to make the necessary changes to ensure this is a safe environment for all moving forward. We at the network endeavor to continue to elevate Black women’s voices and create opportunities to have constructive conversations to impact change.

Young Nudy And 21 Savage Are Lyrical Serial Killers On ‘Child’s Play’

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Over the weekend, 21 Savage released his companion EP for Spiral: From The Book Of Saw. The EP received praise for utilizing the horror-obsessed Atlanta rapper’s macabre talents to the fullest, but it turns out, he wasn’t done yet. Today, Savage returned, appearing with his cousin Young Nudy on the latter’s newly released full-length album, Dr Ev4l. Their collaboration is called “Child’s Play,” and it once again finds the duo indulging their darkest fantasies for a ghoulish excursion to the killing fields of their shared hometown.

Dr Ev4l continues in this vein for all 13 of its bass-forward tracks, featuring guest appearances from Chicago rapper G Herbo on lead single “2Face” and Philadelphia rapper Lil Uzi Vert on “Yellow Tape.” In support of the new project, Nudy also announced his first NFT collection, which will be available for purchase through June 1. Nudy and Savage have appeared together on a number of tracks from both their catalogs, most recently on “Snitches & Rats” from 21’s Metro Boomin-produced Savage Mode II last year.

The collection includes the album’s official artwork with redeemable tokens for polaroid photographs signed by Young Nudy and VIP show tickets, capped at just 400 editions. You can find more information at YoungNudy.com.

Listen to “Child’s Play” above.

Dr Ev4l is out now via RCA Records. Get it here.

Lil Durk And Pooh Shiesty’s Menacing ‘Should’ve Ducked’ Video Issues A Stern Warning

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Pooh Shiesty’s star continues to rise, in large part due to star turns as a guest rapper on tracks from the likes of Gucci Mane, Coi Leray, and Lil Durk. The latter partnership has been especially fruitful; Durk appears on Shiesty’s breakout hit “Back In Blood,” even appearing alongside the Memphis native in his debut television performance of the track on The Tonight Show.

Shiesty returned the favor on the deluxe version of Lil Durk’s 2020 album The Voice, popping up on the menacing “Should’ve Ducked” to deliver some grimy tough talk. Today, Durk released the accompanying video, which finds the pair hanging out with their crews at night, turning up in a dimly lit hallway, and making finger guns at the camera, just in case there was any confusion about the intent of their boastful bars.

Shiesty took a slightly different tack in the video for Coi Leray’s “Big Purr” video, but stuck to his guns in the sunny video for his 1017 labelmate Big Scarr’s”Ballin In LA” video. Lil Durk, meanwhile, has been building his chemistry with another southern rap star, Lil Baby, with whom he’s been working on a joint mixtape. However, they recently pushed back the project’s release so as to not conflict with DMX’s posthumous album, Exodus.

Watch the video for “Should’ve Ducked” above.

Pooh Shiesty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

A Joe Budden Podcast Network Contributor Accuses The Former Rapper Of Sexual Harassment

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Rapper turned podcast personality Joe Budden has been at the center of a number of controversies involving his treatment of the employees and fellow hosts of his podcast network, and today, one of those hosts added fuel to the fire by revealing her reasons for resigning included sexual harassment on the part of Budden himself. Posting a 26-minute video to Instagram, Olivia Dope explained why she departed the See The Thing Is… podcast hosted by herself, Bridget Kelly, and Mandii B just a few months after the show launched in October of 2020.

Following the departure of Joe Budden Podcast co-hosts Rory and Mal after they disagreed with Budden’s profit-sharing practices, Olivia Dope shared her reasons for quitting her own show after less than four months online. “On January 18, 2021, Joe Budden sat in on a recording of the female-led podcast I was a part of and continuously made sexual, suggestive remarks to me that made me extremely uncomfortable as well as fearful of dampening the mood if I didn’t laugh along while he made those sexual remarks to me,” she explained. “Those moments not only live on the internet forever, it also forced me into the decision of quitting the podcast.”

Elaborating on the last effects of the encounter, she continued, “It was traumatizing, embarrassing and I’ve decided that I have to actually speak up because not only was it important for me to walk away from it, it also is important for me to speak up to let others know this probably wouldn’t be the best situation for you to enter into, working with this person.” She also recounted some of the comments Budden made, which were subsequently edited from the episode before it premiered, including Joe admitting he “been wanted to f*ck me since we’ve met.” There are also numerous hostile comments as well as more comments making sexual passes at her.

Budden, who’s been accused of domestic abuse by multiple former girlfriends, was able to turn his rap career into fodder for the successful podcast, which has bounced from Diddy’s Revolt to Spotify, and where he happily trolls his fellow rappers like Jay Electronica and Logic. Since the exits of his co-hosts, however, he’s said that the Joe Budden Podcast is “100,000% over.”

You can watch Olivia Dope’s full video above.

Nicki Minaj Is Releasing Clean Versions Of Her Songs ASAP Thanks To A Fan’s Grandparents

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Nicki Minaj’s music has been heard billions of times at this point and is widely beloved, but at least a small faction of people faces a dilemma: They like how her music sounds, but the explicit lyrical content makes them hesitate to hit play on it. That’s true of a pair of Minaj’s older fans, who wish they could hear a clean version of “Seeing Green,” Minaj’s new Drake and Lil Wayne collaboration from her newly reissued Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape. Now, Minaj is determined to quickly accommodate with some censored music.

Today, a fan tweeted at Minaj, “hey sister i have really religious grandparents who LOVE your music but don’t like explicit music so can we get the clean version of seeing green?” Minaj responded by declaring that she will drop some clean versions of songs tomorrow, writing, “The fact that I didn’t realize no clean versions were uploaded. Smh. The cleans will b out tmrw guys. My bad on that. Give ur grandparents a hug for me babe.” She also tagged her label, Republic Records, in the tweet, presumably to prompt them to get the ball rolling on adding the clean songs to streaming services.

Based on Minaj’s tweet, it’s not clear if just the new songs from the Beam Me Up Scotty reissue will be getting clean versions, or if Minaj’s promise will apply to other songs from her catalog as well. Either way, tomorrow should be a good day for Minaj fans who prefer their music curse-free.

Lil Nas X Hints At Doing ‘Something Special’ For Pride Month

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Lil Nas X is one of the most successful and visible gay music stars of the past couple years, thanks both to hits like “Old Town Road” and “Montero (Call My By Your Name)” and to his willingness to speak out about being gay. Now, he has suggested that he might have something in the works for Pride Month, which is celebrated in June.

Taking to Twitter this afternoon, he wrote, “i wanna do something special for homosexual month in a few weeks.”

Since coming out, Lil Nas X has discussed his sexuality on a number of occasions. Recently, for example, he talked about the possibility of alienating his straight fans, saying that this doesn’t bother him anymore: “At first I was really afraid of alienating any of my straight fans. But then it was kind of like, if they feel offended, they were never really here for me. They were here for whatever version of myself they made up in their head.”

Over the weekend, he also teased the video for his next single, “Sun Goes Down.” He wrote of it, “in the ‘sun goes down’ video i go back in time to visit a younger version self who’s struggling inside, hating himself, & doesn’t want to live anymore. i try my best to uplift him. can’t wait to share this song and video with you guys on friday. this one is really special to me.”

Tobe Nwigwe And His Wife Fat Shout Out Their Hometown In The Exuberant ‘Fye Fye’ Video

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After taking a little break in the wake of his and Fat’s pregnancy announcement, Tobe Nwigwe and his family return in the elaborate, exuberant video for “Fye Fye.” Debuting the video exclusively on Facebook, Tobe and the gang turn all the way up while representing South West Alief, Texas (aka SWAT, aka “WEEEEEST”), again donning their matching uniforms and employing a small army of dancers on a local outdoor basketball court.

This time around, Tobe’s flow reaches a register normally reserved for college basketball fans after winning a championship game as he shouts out his hometown — literally — and asserts his realness over yet another domineering, bass-heavy production from Lanell Grant. Fat herself appears midway through the video to run rampant all over the beat, proclaiming her toughness, wit, and loyalty as she and the bun in her oven bop along. “I ain’t Kim,” she shouts to close her verse. “Tob’ can’t never go Kanye!”

2021 looks to be a big year for the Nwigwe family. Not only was Tobe booked for The Roots’ 2021 Jam Session in March (with kids and wife in tow, as per usual), he also made his television debut with a performance of “Eat” on JImmy Kimmel Live! Tobe’s always been about progressing with every move, so his next one is sure to be even bigger.

Watch the “Fye Fye” video above.