inspiration

Lil Wayne On Inspiring Artists To Get Face Tattoos: “It Feels Amazing”

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Lil Wayne recently discussed the ways that he feels he’s influenced the next generation of hip-hop artists. In doing so, he explained that he believes he is a major reason for the rise in popularity of face tattoos. Wayne discussed the idea during an interview with Billboard for one of the outlet’s pieces celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary.

“Sometimes people ask me how I feel about everybody looking like me, everybody getting tattoos, etc,” he began. “That’s like seeing your kid come out of the room and looking just like you; it feels amazing. So the visible influence is kind of obvious because I know for a fact I didn’t get this look from anyone. There was no one that inspired this look. I just ran into looking like this. (Laughs.) But other than that, I hope that my work ethic [is influential as well].”

Read More: Lil Wayne Finds A Spot For More Face Ink

Lil Wayne At The Grammys

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 02: Lil Wayne attends the Recording Academy Honors presented by The Black Music Collective during the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Later in the interview with Billboard, Wayne discussed his placement on the outlet’s ranking of hip-hop’s 50 greatest rappers. Of landing in sixth place, Wayne remarked: “That’s awesome. You would be happy to be anywhere on that list.” As for his own personal top five, Wayne revealed: “There’s no specific order, but it’s simple. For me, it’s always been Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, UGK, Goodie Mob, and Biggie.”

Of his selections, Wayne explained: “It’s because I organically grew up on [them]. You know, when you’re asked, ‘How’d you start listening?,’ there’s a story for everybody … like, someone I know told me to start listening or whatever. But like I said, every decision I make is organic.”

Lil Wayne For Billboard

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Wayne is set to perform at the hip-hop 50th-anniversary concert at Yankee Stadium on August 11. As for what fans can expect, he remarked: “Do not set expectations for me, because I will always exceed them. So just go there with a clear mind, expect the best — and I’ll be better than that.”

Read More: Lil Wayne’s Alleged Fiancée La’Tecia Thomas Gets Matching Tattoo With Him

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Young Thug Awkwardly Met Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey Once

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Young Thug is an inspiration to a handful of people. One such person, which might come as a shock, is Twitter founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey. According to a Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast episode with Rolling Loud co-founders Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif, the duo set up a meet-and-greet with the rapper and the social media mogul backstage at a show before the young artist was incarcerated. Zingler and Cherif are curators of the largest hip-hop festival in the world, Rolling Loud.

They also play the role of icon matchmakers. When Dorsey was brought backstage to meet the rapper, Thugger had to be told who he was. Once they were introduced, Jack kept complimenting the rapper, calling Thug his “inspiration.” “I’m sitting there like, ‘How the fuck is Jack inspired by Thug?’” Zingler said. “But genuinely, Jack loves Thug on a weird level to [be] influenced by music to everything. He’s obsessed with Thug.”

Read more: Young Thug Uncomfortable With Overwhelming Police Presence At YSL RICO Trial: Report

How Jack Dorsey & Young Thug Met Backstage

Unfortunately, the rapper is not the best when it comes to getting praised. Zingler continued, “It was so awkward because Thug doesn’t take compliments that well, so Thug is like super quiet, and it was so awkward for me. I dipped on Thug.” Funny enough, the rapper, who is behind bars for RICO charges filed against him in the YSL case, still somehow has access to Twitter. He’s been promoting his latest album, Business Is Business, which dropped last month.

The album came out while he was in prison and features collaborations with Future, Juice WRLD, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Travis Scott, and more. According to 808Mafia’s Southside, the famous record producer, the album came together in just under two weeks. This was with Metro Boomin at the helm, overseeing the production and sequencing of the entire tracklist. As far as how the artist recorded his sections from prison, Southside remained silent about the process, saying, “We keep our secrets” in a quick TMZ interview.

Read more: Young Thug’s “Business Is Business” Debuts At Number 2

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Gucci Mane Plans To Take A “Breath Of Fresh Air” With New Album

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In a recent interview with Zane Lowe for New Music Daily, Gucci Mane discussed his upcoming album, Breath Of Fresh Air. Gucci Mane says he’d like to turn over a new leaf, claiming that the deaths of various peers inspired the change. He plans to explore a new, more vulnerable side of himself on the LP, showing others that there’s more to rap than just “extravagance.” Breath Of Fresh Air is slated for release on October 13, 2023. He dropped the album’s first single, “Bluffin,” today alongside Lil Baby.

“Ever since, I guess November of when Dolph passed away and my artist Scarr passing away and TakeOff passing away and Pooh locked up and Foo locked up, that’s why I kind of named my album a Breath of Fresh Air,” the rapper explained. He went on to describe how he plans to set a better example with his next release. “I just, like I said, let me just try to be the person … I’m just not in the mood to hear a whole bunch of drilling and killing and this and that and not saying that I haven’t did that before, but just right now, just let me just kind of lead by example and show people that it is more to rap about than my opps and all that.”

Read More: Gucci Mane Shades Wack 100 On “Bluffin” Collab With Lil Baby

Gucci Mane Says “It’s Okay To Be Happy”

Gucci Mane Wants To "Lead By Example" With His Upcoming Album
Rapper Gucci Mane performs onstage during day two of Rolling Loud Miami 2022 at Hard Rock Stadium on July 23, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)

“You can rap about going out to eat with your girl or your wife. And that’s what all the songs are about. I’m not saying all about the same thing, but that’s what I’m kind of trying to get off. And a lot of artists I see rap about the pain in they life, but me through my career a lot of times I do a lot of rapping about cars and jewelry and just extravagance,” Gucci Mane explains.

“So I kind of wanted to let people know that I go through pain,” he says, “Like I said, I didn’t want to have a such so much just superficial topics. I hit people and let them know, ‘Hey, this was going on,’ but it ain’t a bad thing. It’s okay to be happy. You know what I’m saying?”

Read More: Best & Worst Face Tattoos On Rappers: 21 Savage, Gucci Mane & More

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The post Gucci Mane Plans To Take A “Breath Of Fresh Air” With New Album appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Timbaland Says “Oompa-Loompa” Song Inspired Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody”

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Timbaland says that the “Oompa-Loompa” song from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory served as the inspiration when he made the beat for Aaliyah’s iconic hit, “Are You That Somebody.” The legendary producer revealed the surprising anecdote during the 2023 Pop Conference at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.

“I actually was trying to make the Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory beat from the ‘Oompa-Loompa’ song,” he said, before singing the hook from the track. “I took that rhythm and I listened back to it and I was like, ‘Man that’s a dope addition.’ That’s what I was trying to attempt, but in a hip-hop way.” He added: “I gotta thank Willy Wonka for that.”

Timbaland At The Songwriters Hall Of Fame

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 13: Timbaland speaks onstage during the Songwriters Hall Of Fame 50th Annual Induction And Awards Dinner at The New York Marriott Marquis on June 13, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)

The rest of the panel included Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Take a Daytrip. The latter also admitted that part of Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby” was inspired by a scene from Shrek 2. On a more serious note, Timbaland went further into detail about the production of “Are You That Somebody.”

“The baby part was me going through my sounds. I feel like life is full of music,” he began. “As soon as you wake up, hearing the trees, that’s music. Hearing the crickets, that’s music. I feel like everything that we do is music. When you come outside, listen to the trees, the birds, the crickets, the animals, they all make music. So that’s always been my thing because we didn’t have money when I was growing up, so how could you make music? And my thought was how do you get your gift out when you don’t have the necessary tools to do it? So I always pulled on nature, ’cause I pulled on buckets, spoons, cans to make my beats because I couldn’t afford a drum machine, so I never dialed away from nature, because nature molded who I am today. I always wanted to use nature to be in my songs, just things that we see every day, things that we hear every day.”

Revisit Aaliyah’s Classic “Are You That Somebody”

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Missy Elliott Says Getting Her Mom Out Of An Abusive Relationship “Kept Me Going”

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Missy Elliott recently reflected on the “strong women” she’s met in the industry and how she was inspired to work as hard as she has to become a legend in a “male-dominated industry.” Responding to a fan’s question on Twitter, earlier this week, Elliott explained that helping out her mother, who was in an abusive relationship at the time, inspired her early in her career.

“I wanna know like what inspired her and what was her drive to remain persistent in a male dominated industry at the time,” a fan of the rapper tweeted. Missy Elliott responded to the post, saying that she knows “many strong women in the industry be4 me that made it through & my mom was in a abusive relationship so I told her I would make it so I could get her out of that situation. [And] I would make sure she’d never have to work again that’s what really kept me going.”

Missy Elliott At The Hollywood Walk of Fame

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 08: Missy Elliott speaks onstage during her Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony at Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 08, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

Missy Elliott’s recent tweet comes as she continues to work on her music career. Earlier this month, her longtime collaborator, Timbaland, revealed that the two are working on a new album set to arrive this summer. “We’ve got a lot of songs we’re gonna start recording soon, and my dream is to have it out around her birthday in July,” he told Variety. “I want it to sound how she looks — she looks incredible right now. We both look like we 19 again. I know how Missy works: It’s got to be new and fun — or maybe not so much new as kind of underground, and everything is upbeat.”

He further said: “Some of it has a kind of Latin feel to it, almost a Bad Bunny effect, some of it’s kinda like underground Brazilian funk. People gonna eat it up — and it might reach just a different demographic of people. It’s like it’s her doing… not reggaeton but Missy-ton.”

Missy Elliott On Her Inspiration

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Rihanna Inspired By Beyoncé For Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Two of the biggest (and most Stanned) pop stars in the world share a lot of things: talent, mass impact, but also respect for one another. Before her Super Bowl halftime show, Rihanna said that Beyoncé inspired her and prepared her for the gig. Moreover, she gave the RENAISSANCE star such praise during a conversation with Nate Burleson on NFL and iHeart Radio’s The Process. While the star singer has plenty of performance experience, her first show on the football field is a massive task. However, she did her homework on one of the most grandiose and show-stopping performers the Super Bowl’s ever seen.

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 30: (Exclusive Coverage) Beyonce and Rihanna attend the Tidal launch event #TIDALforALL at Skylight at Moynihan Station on March 30, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For Roc Nation)

“I watched Beyoncé’s halftime performances a couple of times,” the “We Found Love” star expressed. “She is a beast and a whole other level. Just to be inspired, really.” Furthermore, Queen Bee appeared at two big football games over the past decade. Firstly, she performed a headlining solo show in 2013, and joined Bruno Mars and Coldplay in 2016. Overall, she showed herself to be an incredible performer, which people can’t wait to see on her upcoming tour. Still, with ticket prices and availability being a huge hassle, it’ll be tough to witness the “Drunk in Love” icon.

However, Stephen A. Smith of all people compared these two stars ahead of RiRi’s performance. “I don’t want to say I’m not excited,” he said when asked whether he’s hype for her show. “She’s fantastic. That’s not where I’m going with this. Ladies and gentlemen, she’s a lot of things. She’s spectacular, actually. And congratulations on new mamahood. There’s one thing she’s not: she ain’t Beyoncé… Rihanna’s music is fantastic. She’s great, she’s a sister. I love her dearly, I listen to her music. I’m gonna support her ’til the cows come home! I’m just telling you, for me, there’s Beyoncé, there’s everybody else.”

While a lot of people took issue with his comments, he did clarify that it’s just a personal taste thing. However, he didn’t do so without calling out harsh critics quick to jump down his throat. “I think Rihanna’s fantastic. Now, you agree, fine. You disagree? Fine. How we get to the point, ‘Why he gotta pit two Black women…’ Really?! I just can’t be a fan of both? But I prefer Beyoncé over Rihanna. That’s a crime! I didn’t know that.” Regardless of what your take is, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest on these two superstars.

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Kendrick Lamar Includes Just One Name In His “Mount Rushmore Of Style”

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Twitter users often debate about who belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Rap, but when it comes time to hand out the awards to those who belong on the Mount Rushmore of Style, West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar believes that just one person should be recognized.

On Thursday (September 29), the Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers artist hopped on Twitter to show some love to Grammy Award-winning producer Taz Arnold, who has an undeniably distinct sense of fashion that’s earned him praise from fellow creatives all across the industry.

Taz Arnold at Proximity Greenhouse on January 21, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ella Hovsepian/Getty Images)

“The Westside original,” Lamar wrote above four photos of Arnold included in his tweet. “My Mount Rushmore of Style.”

As HipHopDX notes, aside from just admiring his fashion sense, the father of two has also connected with his friend on a musical level. Arnold, who’s a part of the genre-bending L.A. group The Sa-Ra Creative Partners, co-produced three tracks on 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly – “u,” “Momma,” and “For Sale? (Interlude).”

The “Glorious” artist had high praise for Lamar after working with him in the studio, saying, “He’s ill man. He directs people.”

“He writes his own material to a whole other level. He writes your material. He’s like, ‘Can you say these parts?’ He’s good to work in the studio. I was very impressed with his acumen and his skill set.”

In other news, Kendrick was recently announced as the musical guest on an upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live – read more about that here, and tap back in with HNHH later for more hip-hop news updates.

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