interview Archives - Page 9 of 30

Lil Wayne Speaks On Whether He’ll Drop A “No Ceilings” Tape Again

July 13, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Lil Wayne has one of the most legendary mixtape runs of all time, whether you’re looking at Da Drought series, the Sorry 4 The Wait tapes, his classic Dedication projects, or the No Ceilings installments. However, the game is very different to what it was when he exploded onto the scene. As such, the New Orleans legend thinks very differently about the process of dropping mixtapes these days- and their viability as a whole. While on The Pivot Podcast, Weezy answered whether he’d be down to drop another tape in the No Ceilings series, which featured popular rap instrumentals of the time behind his bars. To put it bluntly, it seems unlikely, but his explanation paints a much more complex picture.

“The times changed,” Lil Wayne remarked to the hosts when asked about No Ceilings. “So what happened is, back then, I could do that. Nowadays, if I do that, the times have changed so much to where nothing is official as far as [dropping] an official album. They don’t do that. What happened is, as soon as we put that out, Drama might put [on] a whole event, it’s gon’ go down. As soon as it drop, those artists are calling our people like, ‘Aye, we want that to be a single.’

Lil Wayne Responds To Question About No Ceilings‘ Next Installment

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“Yeah, and ‘We don’t need no date,’” Lil Wayne continued. “They about to pull that off, pay how much you want to pay for it, boom, that’s the original new verse. Ain’t no such thing as a remix no more, so that’s all it really is. That’s their new single, we [might] shoot a video and everything. And that’s what takes the allure of what I was doing.”

Of course, considering the sample-based concepts of many of his mixtapes, it’s understandable why the Young Money boss’ elevated status makes that run a bit tougher. The times have changed indeed, and an artist of Wayne’s caliber isn’t expected to forego commercial opportunities for the sake of releasing music. That being said, with a Benny The Butcher collab on the horizon, there will surely be no shortage of excellent verses from Tunechi. On that note, keep checking in with HNHH for the latest news and updates on Lil Wayne.

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Lil Durk Thought Cutting His Hair Would End His Career

July 13, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Lil Durk thought that his career might be over when he was forced to cut his hair. Earlier this month the rapper caught up with legendary interviewer Nardwuar for a chat. Nardwuar has a reputation for digging up old details and stories that artists aren’t expected to hear. Rappers like Lil Uzi Vert and A$AP Rocky have been blown away by Nardwuar’s level of research. For a question in this video, Nardwuar looked all the way back at 2013 when Durk was forced to cut his hair during a prison sentence.

“‘Cause when they cut my hair, the lady guard was like, ‘Why you cut your hair?’” Lil Durk answered. “But it ’posed to be mandatory, and I’m like, ‘What you mean what the f**k I cut my hair for?’ Then they did me any type of way. I looked in the mirror. I said my career over with. They cut me bald, all types of s**t.” Clearly Durk’s career wasn’t actually over. In fact, he’s blown up to far greater heights than he could have believed at the time.

Lil Durk Hated Cutting His Hair

2023 might be the best year of Lil Durk’s career thus far. Earlier this year he released his new album Almost Healed. The album had a pretty stellar debut soaring all the way to number two on the Billboard 200. It had the highest debut and largest first week sales for a rap album in 2023 until Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape numbers came in last week. He’s also had one of the biggest hit rap songs this year with “All My Life.” The J. Cole featuring track has stuck in the top 10 of the Hot 100 since it came out and was recently certified platinum.

Earlier this year the rapper confirmed that he isn’t done dropping new music this year. He promised that an Almost Healed deluxe edition is coming soon. What do you think of Lil Durk’s hair-cutting confession in his new Nardwuar interview? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Drake Says Fans Will See The Old Him On New Album “For All The Dogs”

July 12, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Drake has shared some new details about his upcoming album, For All The Dogs. During a recent podcast appearance, the rapper revealed that fans can look forward to seeing an old side of him that they claim to miss. “I’m tired of everybody coming up to me, [saying] ‘man… we miss that old Drake man. We need that old Drake man,’” he explained. “Imma give it to you then,” he told them according to a Tweet by the NFR podcast.

For All The Dogs is believed to come out at some point this year, however, no official release date has been confirmed yet. Recently, Drake also confirmed that he’ll be joined by Nicki Minaj on the album during a stop on his tour. “I got a lot of love for her,” he told his audience, who were also eager to see the reunion.

Drake Says He’s Tired Of Fans Asking For The “Old Drake”

Drake also recently set off on his “It’s All A Blur” tour alongside his Her Loss collaborator, 21 Savage. The artists will make several stops across the U.S. and Canada, with notable dates in Brooklyn, Washington, Los Angeles, and more. It’s been clear that fans are loving the tour, with recent reports of them lining up hours in advance to score spots to see him perform. He kicked off the tour with a show in Chicago, and was quickly met by phones, shoes, bras, and more being thrown at him onstage. One fan even sobbed at one of his recent shows.

Drake has been giving the tour everything he’s got, recently performing overtime in Detroit at his own expense. According to reports, each minute he went over the scheduled time cost him $10K. Further, he ended up with a bill for roughly $230K by the end of the night. It didn’t seem to bother the rapper, however, who was committed to giving his fans a great show. It’s $10,000 a minute to stay in this building past curfew,” he told the crowd, “I don’t give a f***. We’re doing this whole song, let’s go.”

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Ice Spice Previews New Song, Says London Smells Like Trash

July 9, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Ice Spice recently took to TikTok to share a snippet of an upcoming track. Though the song remains nameless, fans rushed to the comments section to beg her to drop it. She previewed the high-energy track alongside a series of fun photos. The “Munch (Feelin’ U)” rapper is some of the hottest new talent right now, and her fanbase is itching to hear more. Her last release was a collaboration with Nicki Minaj for the Barbie soundtrack, “Barbie World.” She previously worked alongside Nicki on the hit remix of “Princess Diana.”

The 23-year-old also recently shared her funny take on London. During an interview with BBC Radio 1, Ice Spice discussed visiting the city. “I love it here,” she said, “It kind of reminds me of New York a little bit.” When the host says the two cities have similar a culture, she agrees. “And the smell is [similar] too,” the rapper adds, “I think yesterday was garbage day.”

Ice Spice Teases New Song

Ice Spice teases a new song.
pic.twitter.com/BZvvGa7HkM

— Rap Alert (@rapalert6) July 9, 2023

During another recent interview, Ice Spice expressed her love for her “Barbie World” collaborator. She explained that she’s gotten good advice from Nicki, who tells her to learn from the mistakes she’s made in her own career. “I love to talk to her about things that I can’t talk about publicly – it just means so much to be able to have somebody like her,” she explained. Ice Spice went on to say that Nicki also taught her how to speak up for herself. “Being around her showed me that you really gotta hold your ground,” she explained, “You’ve really got to say ‘no’ when it’s time to say ‘no.’”

Last week, Ice Spice also revealed that there’s a remix of her hit song “Munch (Feelin’ U)” floating around. She said that she’ll “probably leak it” at some point, claiming that the remix even features British rapper Central Cee.

[Via][Via]

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Tony Yayo On “Drink Champs”: Eminem & G-Unit, Rap Beef, Street Life & More

July 8, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Tony Yayo has a lot of stories to tell within hip-hop, whether from his own career, his work with G-Unit, or the wealth of knowledge he gained since then. Of course, given that he’s such an entertaining storyteller, an episode of Drink Champs with him as the special guest is bound to hold some highlights. In it, he tackles those topics plus studio sessions with Eminem, the East Coast and West Coast beef, ghost producers, and a whole lot else. Moreover, the New York rapper also went over some “this or that” debates at the behest of show hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN. Some of the debates included Paid In Full versus Criminal Minded, A Tr*be Called Quest versus Brand Nubian, and loyalty versus respect.

In addition, Tony Yayo also revealed some interesting insights into 50 Cent’s career. Apparently, Fif didn’t even like “Many Men” when he and his team first started working on it. Furthermore, that song went on to become one of the Queens legend’s biggest hits of all time. Still, it’s quite odd to hear about how such a beloved song might’ve just been a throwaway at some point in time.

Tony Yayo’s Drink Champs Episode

Previously, the 45-year-old spoke on how working with Eminem caused a lot of controversy for G-Unit, which he readdresses here. “We even got called house n***as for f***ing with Eminem,” Tony Yayo had shared to DJ Vlad. “The Source, they would take it to a whole ‘nother level. That’s when the disrespect for me was like, well damn, what does color have to do with anything with music? What does color have to do with anything with people? I don’t care what color or religion you are. That’s just me. We from New York. It’s a melting pot of people. We grew up around all kinds of people, so I don’t give a f**k what color you are. I don’t look at you as a culture vulture ’cause you white. That could be somebody else’s opinion. It’s not mine.”

Meanwhile, Tony made sure to contextualize his success with an incredible amount of gratitude. He recalled just being a kid from the block who loved hip-hop and eventually made it to some of its highest highs in the 2000s. If you want your dose of hip-hop history and culture discussion, don’t miss out on this conversation. Also, keep checking in with HNHH for more news and the latest updates on Tony Yayo.

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Yasiin Bey Says “Thank God For De La Soul”

July 7, 2023 by newhiphopnews

During a recent interview with Audible, Yasiin Bey discussed his early career. The interview was part of a series of interviews in celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop. Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, revealed that he struggled to find other artists that were doing what he was looking to do at the time. He shares that he was able to connect his own art to De La Soul’s, which he explained wasn’t common. The artist is currently making his way around the United States with Erykah Badu on her “Unfollow Me” tour.

“Watching the world just be on fire, you know,” Yasiin Bey explains, “Or at least, my community, with the crime and the drugs.” He continues, “And there was a very indifferent attitude towards what was happening to us, too — there was no telethons for crack babies. So I was like, this popular cultural narrative isn’t working for anybody, you know?”

Yasiin Bey Discusses His Early Influences

“So much got lost getting the game that it wasn’t working. So I started writing, just about what I was seeing, and about what I felt. And my brother, God bless him […] we used to watch TV. Video Music Box,” Yasiin Bey continues, “And Common‘s ‘Easy’ came on from Can I Borrow A Dollar? And my brother was like, ‘We can do this!’ So he just started making connects with local talent shows. And a year or two later, lo and behold, I got the deal.”

“As a teenager, though, it was a lot for me,” the artist goes on, “Because at the time I was listening to just as much Miles Davis as I was Rakim and De La Soul. I was even interested in Jimi Hendrix, and Bad Brains, and all that shit. […] But thank God for De La Soul. Because, apart from them […] I just had a different expression, something different that I wanted to see that I wasn’t seeing.”

[Via]

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Ice Spice Says Relationship With Nicki Minaj “Means So Much” To Her

July 7, 2023 by newhiphopnews

During a recent interview with The Guardian, Ice Spice opened up about her relationship with Nicki Minaj. The two have collaborated a couple of times in the past, with a remix of “Princess Diana” and their new contribution to the Barbie soundtrack, “Barbie World.” According to Ice Spice, Nicki has given her some valuable guidance, acting as a mentor to the 23-year-old. Nicki has been in the game for some time, and surely could offer the young artist some solid advice.

“She be telling me to learn from her mistakes – just watching her in general, if you pay close enough attention, you gonna see what you should do,” Ice Spice explains. “I love to talk to her about things that I can’t talk about publicly – it just means so much to be able to have somebody like her.” In another recent interview with Capital XTRA, she also called Nicki the “queen,” complimenting her work ethic.

Ice Spice Values Nicki’s Advice

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She went on to reveal that Nicki is “real particular about everything,” claiming that the way Nicki commands a room is inspiring to her. “She’s so hardworking,” she says, “I knew that already, but meeting her in person just like, completely reminded me of that.” Ice Spice continued, revealing that their video shoots together would take over ten hours. “Being around her showed me that you really gotta hold your ground,” she explained, “You’ve really got to say ‘no’ when it’s time to say ‘no.’” “People really listen to her,” she says, admiring her “Princess Diana” collaborator.

Both “Princess Diana (Remix)” and their new collab “Barbie World” have landed in the top ten in the Billboard Hot 100. Only a couple of weeks since their Barbie soundtrack contribution’s debut, it’s managed to hit over 16 million streams. It’s clear that Nicki has been valuable to Ice Spice’s career, as a co-sign from the “queen” of rap has continued to bring her opportunities.

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Flavor Flav Unveils The Story Behind His Famous Clock Chain

July 6, 2023 by newhiphopnews

During a recent interview on SiriusXM, Flavor Flav told the story behind his iconic clock necklace. He revealed the whole thing actually started as a joke, claiming that a “crackhead” gave him his first one. He’s worn the clock chains throughout most of his career, even gifting one to Harvard University earlier this year.

Flavor Flav begins, “So one day, as a joke, as a joke, you know, this crackhead came through my projects, you know what I’m saying? Selling these shower clocks that she stole from a place called Fortunoff.” He continues, “Well, she went to Fortunoff, stole this big bag, big box of shower clocks came through our projects selling them. So my boy, Son of Berserk, you know what I’m saying? He took the stopwatch off my neck and put the clock around my neck and everybody was laughing. It was a big joke and all of that.”

Flavor Flav’s Clock Necklace Started As A Joke

Flavor Flav attends as WEtv celebrates the premieres of Growing Up Hip Hop New York and Untold Stories of Hip Hop on August 19, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for WEtv)

The artist then reveals that what may have started as a joke, ended up getting him some serious attention. Flavor Flav recalls landing on the front pages of various publications for the fashion statement. “So they dared me to wear that clock on stage,” he explained to Roxanne Shante, “but during the show. So when we went to open up for the Beastie Boys in Passaic, New Jersey, 1986, I wore the clock, Roxanne, and then the next day on the front page of Newsday, New York Times, New York Post, the look of the clock was dope.”

Flavor Flav is also celebrating being nearly three years sober from alcohol, and over 15 years sober from drugs. “To everyone out there struggling with addiction, it is a real battle you fight every day,” he wrote in June. He went on to tell followers, “if I can do it anyone can do it.“

[Via]

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Swizz Beatz Explains Why DMX Albums Rarely Had Features

July 4, 2023 by newhiphopnews

DMX passed away in April of 2021 and tons of rappers paid respect to his influence afterwards. Despite the love many had for his work, he doesn’t seem to be all that much of a fan of hip-hop himself. In a new interview reflecting on his legacy, legendary producer Swizz Beats explained why DMX’s albums rarely had features. “The reason he didn’t like so many features is cause he was just competitive as an artist,” Swizz explains. “He only wanted people on his album he was a real big fan of. And mind you, X wasn’t a fan of too many rap artists. He was a fan of Earth, Wind & Fire, he was a fan of R&B music.”

Very few rappers had the chance to feature on a DMX album. The ones that did were often legends of their era like The LOX, 50 Cent, Styles P, Mase, and Swizz Beatz himself. His posthumously released album Exodus featured some of those artists and many more legends who paid tribute to his influence. Jay-Z, Nas, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, and more showed up to tribute the late legend.

Why DMX Didn’t Use Many Features

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Swizz Beatz has been putting in the work to keep DMX’s legacy alive. Last month he shared some old clips of the rapper performing various tracks from his classic album It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot at the Apollo. Swizz also said in an interview that he thought X may have had something to do with Swizz finding his new prodigy. He’s recently taken NY rapper Scar Lip under his wing and credits DMX with some kind of influence over it.

Earlier this year, his most beloved project It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot celebrated its 35th birthday. The album was an instant smash that hit number one on the Billboard 200 and spawned the hit song “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” Many fans and fellow rappers alike took the opportunity to shout out the influential project on its birthday. DMX’s What do you think of Swizz Beatz’s explanation of why DMX didn’t have many features? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Busta Rhymes Says Swizz Beatz & Pharrell “Fixed” Him

July 2, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Busta Rhymes is unquestionably one of the most impressive, skilled, and impactful MCs to ever touch a mic. In fact, he just received BET’s Lifetime Achievement Award this year, marking the success and influence of his 35-plus-year career in the game. However, titans like him are not immune to struggle and hardship, and he recently credited fellow legendary peers as a path past those issues for him at one point in his life. Moreover, he sat down with Ebro in a new and engaging Apple Music interview, which was published on Friday (June 30). Although the 51-year-old rapper didn’t go into personal detail, he expressed gratitude to Pharrell and Swizz Beatz for getting him through trying times.

“There’s been some times in the last four-five years where I needed to make some changes that was very serious changes, personally and professionally,” Busta Rhymes remarked. “Because I’m the type of person where I love hard and I’m loyal to the point where it can be a burden as opposed to the loyalty being a blessing. I became so complacent in this space that it was starting to harm me. And I needed to talk to somebody and try to help get a navigation to help me reach to the destination that I needed to reach to get up out of that, and get back to my happiness and my peace of mind.”

Busta Rhymes’ Apple Music Interview

“Pharrell and Swizz very specifically in this area of my life, in this time of my life, were just the two people that I was able to trust with my most vulnerable space,” he continued. “Not only did I trust [them] with the truth, them n***as helped fix Bus Rhymes.” Overall, it was a very powerful sentiment that echoed his Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech at the 2023 BET Awards. During it, he emotively went over the highs and lows of his life and career and offered some advice to the younger generation.

Meanwhile, the Leaders of the New School founder recently released his single “BEACH BALL” with BIA. Anticipation for his next album is at an all-time high as a result, and it will surely be a special moment. After all, he keeps performing like it’s 1992, and that hunger and drive is exactly what makes him such a force within the genre. With that in mind, keep checking in with HNHH for the latest news and updates on Busta Rhymes.

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