Drake has been throwing out lots of feelers. The rapper dropped three new songs as part of his “100 Gigs” release. It’s obvious that he’s got something else coming, though. The 6 God never goes very long without dropping a new project. The going theory among Drake fans is that whatever he has in store for his next album, it will contain a reference to the Top Gun character Iceman. Several people have noticed that Drizzy has been leaving clues relating to the film on his plot twist burner account.
There’s a couple reasons why the Iceman theory holds weight. For one, Drake has repeatedly posted pics of the Kimi Räikkönen on his aforementioned burner. Kimi Räikkönen is the most successful Finnish Formula One driver in history, and one of the most revered racers of his generation. His nickname? You guessed it: “Iceman.” Drake hammered home the Iceman obsession on August 14, when he posted an actual screenshot from Top Gun. No caption or additional context, just an extreme close up of actor Val KIlmer as Iceman.
Drake has a track record of posting movie scenes on Instagram. He employed this tactic multiple times during the Kendrick Lamar battle. He posted a scene from the romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You as a means of clowning Lamar’s “Euphoria” diss. The rapper then dropped a scene from the Denzel Washington action film The Equalizer 2. In the scene, Washington’s character discovers that one of his friends has betrayed him. He then announces his plans to “kill each and every one” of his enemies. Not subtle, and unfortunately for Drake, not prophetic either. The point still stands: the boy loves his movies.
The concept of Iceman, a character known for being cool under pressure, is something Drake has been trying to emulate since the Lamar battle. The rapper’s frequent collaborator, Gordo, told People that the rapper has been “happy as sh*t” since the battle ended. Lil Yachtyechoed the sentiment during a recent appearance on the Flagrant podcast. “I talked to him and that sh*t didn’t bother him,” Yachty explained to the hosts. “As it shouldn’t — he’s the f*king guy. If I had $700 million you couldn’t talk to me either.” If internet sleuths are right, than the 6 God will use Iceman to initiate a new era.
Rubin confirmed to The Breakfast Club that there was truth behind rumors claiming that Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping Drake diss track “Not Like Us” was not allowed to be played at the party.
“Drake’s my friend for a long time,” Fanatics CEO Rubin said. “I’m not gonna invite him and then have, you know, look, he’s obviously going through a little bit of a battle right now. I’m not gonna have him come there — I just didn’t think it was appropriate. So, I just sent a note, I said, ‘Hey, let’s not play anyone’s music that’s feuding with anyone that’s there.’”
Rubin noted that Drake had not asked Rubin to prevent “Not Like Us” from playing.
“The day before, we had a small barbecue for a few hours that was supposed to be thirty people [but] turned into 200 people for about ten hours,” he added. “That was the pre-game to the white party. When they turned the music on, just like in my house, they put RapCaviar, and ‘Not Like Us’ came on. It was in the middle of ‘Not Like Us.’ I’m like, ‘Get that off! Get that off!’ [Drake] was pulling up soon.”
Yesterday in an interview with The Breakfast Club, veteran Houston, Texas rapper Sauce Walka voiced his strong opinion on Drake. According to him, The Boy doesn’t have as much of an appreciation for the former’s hometown rap scene as the latter would have you believe. This is something that Sauce has expressed since 2015 way back when Drizzy held his Houston Appreciation Weekend. However, pretty recently, these two have reconciled, so bringing these feelings back to the surface is a little interesting. Overall, it seems that the trend in hip-hop for 2024 is to pile on the Canadian megastar.
As for what Sauce had to say exactly, here are a couple of quotes from his sit-down with Charlamagne tha God and the crew. “Still to this day, why does Drake not have a bunch of records with Houston artists? You’ve been doing that with Atlanta. It’s 7, 8, 9, 15 artists that you got songs with in Atlanta”. “Travis Scott is still the only rapper that’s got a song with Drake. It makes sense ’cause it’s an equal trade. It’s not like, ‘I’m helping Houston and changing your life’”. “It’s about fair exchange and business. If you are using the lineage and the culture of somebody’s city, do something that helps not yourself; do something that actually makes the economy of that city and music bigger and greater”.
Another comment that Sauce Walka made was in regard to acknowledging the fact that Drake did work with Bun B. However, “No disrespect to Bun B, [but] he’s from Port Arthur; he’s not from Houston. This is Houston, Texas we talking about”. This got around to the UGK legend, and it led to him responding via a dedicated Instagram post, according to HipHopDX. “Born in Houston. Northwood Manor. Moved to West Side PA in 6th grade. None taken”. A more common collaborator of Drizzy’s, producer Boi-1da also decided to chime in via a reply to a comment left on a DJ Akademiks repost of this interview. “Travis, Bun B, Pimp C, OG Ron C, DJ Screw, Multiple Houston producers etc… the sense of entitlement is crazy though.” Boi-1da hit back with, “selective memory ”.
What are your thoughts on Bun B and Boi-1da’s responses to Sauce Walka’s claims about Drake and Houston? Do you think Walka was making some out of pocket statements, why or why not? Are him and Drizzy now back on bad terms in your eyes? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Drake, Sauce Walka, Bun B, and Boi-1da. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Yesterday (August 13), during an appearance on The Breakfast Club, Sauce Walka accused Drake of being a culture vulture, more specifically of the Houston sound. After host Charlamagne Tha God mentioned Drake (a longtime foe of Walka) the pair then examined his love for the city, which was recently highlighted with the purchase of a new $15 million estate.
“Why did Drake not have no bunch of records with Houston artists,” said Walka. “You been doing that with Atlanta? How did Drake love Houston so much at that time and not have music with artists that you are uplifting from this community? F*ck me. I don’t care. It’s bigger than me.”
Then Walka made it clear he did count Drake’s work with Bun B, Travis Scott, or Beyoncé as true support of the city. “It’s about fair exchange in business [for Drake],” he said. “If you are using the lineage and the culture of somebody’s city or somebody’s hometown and backyard, do something that helps not yourself and your notoriety for your own benefit with the ladies and the people a see in the city. Do something that actually makes the economy of their city and music and musicians bigger and greater. That’s all I was saying. Not just for me, this for anybody.”
However, users across X (formerly Twitter) are divided by Walka’s claims.
“Sauce Walka is full of sh*t here,” wrote a user. “But let’s agree he is right…Drake collabs with Atlanta artists = Colonizer. Drake does not colonize other state’s artists = culture vulture.”
While others agreed with Walka’s emphasis on Drake overlooking rising act. “Sauce said he wants Drake to help artists that are up and coming,” penned another user. “And you n****s keep screaming Travis, Beyoncé, and Bun B like they weren’t already who they were before Drake.”
Watch Sauce Walka’s full interview with The Breakfast Club above.
Dating back to 2015, Houston rapper Sauce Walka has had some issues with Drake. It mostly stems from The Boy’s Houston Appreciation Weekend and the lack of support for Houston-bred artists. The “Texas Cyclone” MC put him on blast, saying, “A n**** using our culture for lyrical content, and ain’t giving s*** back but a family fun day and some money to some h*es he tricking on in the club. This b****-a** n**** make music with artists from everywhere butHouston”. This set him off so much that he would go on to release a diss called “Wack 2 Wack”, rapping over Drake’s “Back To Back” beat.
Things between these two would continue to be tense up until just a few months ago. Sauce and Drake were spotted at a Houston strip club called Area 29 chopping it up, seemingly putting their differences behind them. However, things seem to be unraveling as evidenced by some “new” comments by Walka on The Breakfast Club. DJ Akademiks reshared a clip from their recent conversation and it sees him rehashing the same issues from the past.
Essentially, Sauce doesn’t understand how Drake claims to be a proponent of Houston’s rap culture but has hardly any collaborations with artists from there. Walka might want to check the receipts though, because he has songs with Travis Scott, Bun B, Pimp C, Beyonce, and etc. However, he argues that he only works with artists who are on equal playing grounds and ones that will elevate his status. Sauce essentially wants to see Drizzy help the lesser-known talents and to give them more exposure. If he does this, Walka thinks bigger music festivals, like Rolling Roud, will come to the city as well. He could just be talking about what happened with Drake in the past and things are still good, but it’ll be interesting to see if something happens between them again.
What are your thoughts on Sauce Walka calling out Drake’s lack of support for the Houston rap scene? Do you think his criticisms are justified, why or why not? Is some of the hate that the Canadian rapper is receiving is getting out of hand? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Drake and Sauce Walka. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Drake is not slowing down. The rapper is either dropping 100 gigs on our headtops or teasing new music. He just released three new songs. He also has an album with PARTYNEXTDOOR set for the fall. But wait, there’s more. Fuerza Regida frontman JOP claimed that the rapper is also starting a new label. The will reportedly be called PFL, and JOP claimed to know some of the artists who will be involved.
The revelation came about on the Bootleg Kev podcast. The host asked what JOP thought about Drake tapping into the genre, and the latter dropped the bombshell. “He has a new label called PFL,” he noted. He’s doing something with us. I have a record label, Street Mob Records, and that’s where we got Chino Pacas, and he’s tapped in with Chino Pacas.” The aforementioned artist is the link between JOP’s label and PFL. At least, that’s what the rapper said. “My label and Drake’s label are gonna help out Chino,” he asserted. Drake’s hasn’t discussed PFL or his prospective collabs, but he has teased his involvement with JOP and Pacas over the last few months.
Drake attended the Houston rodeo over the summer, and walked out to a Chino Pacas song. He also alluded to his involvement with Fuerza Regida on his latest single, “It’s Up.” While most of the attention went to 21 Savage’s verse, Drake seemingly tees up his PFL plans in plain sight. “The Mexicans love me,” he raps. “I’m out here just makin’ connections.” Drake has dabbled in different Spanish-language genres over the years. He collaborated with bachata singer Romeo Santos on the 2013 single “Odio.” He has two songs with Bad Bunny, though the less said about “Gently” the better.
Drake could use the good press. The rapper was linked to a highly suspect Kick streamer named Snoh over the weekend. Snoh has been accused of coercing women into sexual situations and record them without their consent. Drizzy, meanwhile, has appeared on streams with Snoh and urged fans to follow her. Drake also drew the ire of the internet when his Texas driver’s license was shared online. Most felt like the rapper’s ID photo was cringe personified. Check it out here and determine for yourself.
The vigorous demands of the industry only increase as an artist’s popularity rises, leading many of our favorites to back away from the limelight. This can come in many forms—retirement announcements, disappearing from social media, or simply letting the world know that they need time off. The most recent Hip-Hop-Affiliated artist to announce a break was SZA. The Top Dawg Entertainment songbird took to Xitter to share the news, which didn’t bode over well with her diehard fanbase.
“Yesterday was my last show for a while,” said SZA. “Finally bout to get my life together thank u God.” She didn’t specify what that meant, but SZA has been going almost nonstop since she took over the charts with her hit 2017 debut album, Ctrl. It would take over five years for SOS, her equally successful sophomore effort, to arrive—and there were plenty of frustrated updates from the singer about its execution. Her sold-out tours and packed festival performances have kept her busy, and it seems like SZA is ready for some “me” time.
Yesterday was my last show for a while . Finally bout to get my life together thank u God .
Many of SZA’s peers have also felt the pressure of successful careers, opting for a hiatus. Many of these rappers returned to their professions to earn greater accolades, solidifying themselves as legends. Others remained in the industry in different capacities, while some chose new vocations altogether. Which rapper on hiatus do you want to make a triumphant return?
TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 27: Jay Z performs on stage at Air Canada Centre during his Magna Carter World Tour on January 27, 2014 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)
Sure, the Roc Nation mogul has appeared on a few tracks here and there in recent years, but Jay-Z has taken a step back from releasing albums to focus on other billionaire ventures. There was that time in 2003 when Hov shared he was officially retiring, but that only lasted a few years before he dropped Kingdom Come. “I was really burnt out that time. I was releasing an album every year — ’96, ’97, ’98. And then in between that, soundtracks, other people’s albums, Roc-A-Fella, touring back-to-back,” he recalled, according to PEOPLE. “And you know, I just looked up one day and I was like, ‘I’m tired.’ I had never been on a vacation until like, I want to say 2000. Like my whole life. And I was just really burnt out at that moment.”
Nicki Minaj
I was in full quarantine/hiatus mode. No social media. Had no clue what was going on in the music world.
She is hailed as a Rap GOAT and has a slew of hits under her belt, but after releasing Queen in 2018, Nicki Minaj went silent. Fans begged her for a follow-up, but the Head Barb-in-Charge was taking time to nurture and grow her family. She and her husband, Kenneth Petty, married in 2019, and in 2020, they welcomed their son, affectionately and publicly known as “Papa Bear.” In 2021, Minaj was back on Xitter answering fans’ questions, and someone wanted to know if the time off benefited her mental health.
“Great question. Yes. It was soooo needed for me,” the rapper responded. “I appreciate u guys so much for waiting. But yea, very much needed that zen for important bonding time w|my son, getting back fluid w|writing & smthn else I don’t want to discuss yet. If u know u know. .”
Eminem
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: Inductee Eminem performs on stage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
An artist who has been transparent about his personal life struggles has been Eminem. Whether he’s opening up old wounds on wax or sitting down for compelling interviews, the Detroit icon has long shared how drug addiction curtailed his life plans for short periods. However, even during his sober journey, Em retreated from releasing music on several occasions. There was a five-year gap between Encore and Relapse, and three years between Recovery and The Marshall Mathers LP 2. It would be another four years before he arrived with Revival, and after dropping Music to Be Murdered By, Eminem waited another four years to give us The Death of Slim Shady, which hit streaming services last month. Some speculate that this most recent album may be his last.
She is currently taking over stages on her Out of This World Tour, continuing to amaze fans after successful decades in the industry. Missy Elliott is celebrated as a top-tier Hip Hop innovator, even being recognized with an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She hasn’t necessarily taken a hiatus from music altogether, as her hotmaking production skills have remained essential for many of today’s top-selling artists. However, the last time she dropped a full-length album was 2005’s The Cookbook, and fans may have to wait a tad bit longer for her next arrival.
“When I create something, it’s gotta be special and it can’t just be to throw something out there because I feel like I’m Missy,” Elliott revealed while on The Yo Show. “I gotta feel like what I’m giving fans is 100 percent and that it’s game-changing. I don’t just throw out microwave records.” Nevertheless, Missy promised that new music is on the way. “I just ain’t telling nobody when.”
A beloved, yet controversial figure in Hip Hop is music maven Ms. Lauryn Hill. Emerging as the only woman emcee in The Fugees alongside Pras and Wyclef Jean, Hill would reach greater heights when she went solo. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, her debut and only full-length release, continues to be hailed as the greatest Hip Hop album of all time. That title has been argued for decades, but Hill’s talents stay unmatched. While she has continued to perform worldwide, Hill’s reputation for canceling shows or showing up hours late has permeated the music industry. Most recently, The Fugees announced the cancelation of their tour just days before it was to begin. It’s unclear if Hill will deliver another record anytime soon, but with all that has transpired, some fans aren’t holding their breaths.
Mase
Former Bad Boy rapper Ma$e was at the top of his game in the late 1990s. His debut album, Harlem World, included some of his most memorable hits. Mase’s follow-up record, Double Up, didn’t reach the same success, but it was instrumental in his discography. Only two months before the sophomore album’s arrival, Mase announced his retirement from Rap. He would turn to religion, becoming a pastor and leading a congregation. However, Mase couldn’t stay away and returned to the mic in 2004 with his last album, Welcome Back. Rifts with Sean “Diddy” Combs about music rights would spill over for years, and it looks as if that tension has been settled. These days, Mase continues to enjoy his life outside of music, hosting a sports-centered podcast with former Hip Hop rival, Cam’ron.
Further, in an interview with Complex in March 2024, Mase reflected on his decision to escape the Rap game. Immediately, he said it was the best choice for his life. “Everything now that we see playing out was all the things I escaped. The car, the shine, the Loon, Puff Daddy… The Craig Mack, the Biggie Smalls. So even though I made those decisions and it cost me money, that’s why I got with Killer [Cam] and they gave me the money back. I didn’t lose no money. Destiny.”
Drake
To say that 2024 thus far has been rough for Drake is an understatement. The Pop-Rap icon has dominated the charts from the moment he stepped on the scene with co-signs from Lil Wayne, and he’s developed a career as one of the best in the game. Yet, his beef with Kendrick Lamar became an international moment, resulting in the Pulitzer Prize winner towering with his hit diss track single, “Not Like Us.” Prior to the K.Dot vs. Drizzy Drake whirlwind, the latter had expressed wanting to take a break.
“I probably won’t make music for a little bit,” Drake said while visiting Table for One in October 2023, per Forbes. “I’m going to be real with you. I need to focus on my health, first and foremost, and I’ll talk about that soon enough.” He added, “I’ve been having the craziest problems for years with my stomach,” and shared he will “focus on my health, and I need to get [that] right… I’ma lock the door in the studio for a little bit.”
Beyoncé
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 01: (Editorial Use Only) Beyoncé performs onstage during the “RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR” at SoFi Stadium on September 01, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood)
As one of the biggest stars in the world, it’s only natural that Beyoncé would retreat every so often. The superstar releases a new project every two to three years, working diligently to maintain her reputation as one of the hardest-working entertainers in the business. Her schedule keeps her moving around the world with her entourage in tow—but the mother of three admitted balancing her career and parenthood has been a struggle. The mother of three and her husband, Jay-Z, are billionaires with several other money-making efforts. In 2019, Beyoncé explained to Elle why she needed a year to regroup.
“After having a difficult pregnancy, I took a year to focus on my health,” she revealed. “I have researched information on homeopathic medicines. I don’t just put any prescription in my body. My diet is important, and I use tools like acupuncture, meditation, visualization, and breathing exercises.” Beyoncé added, “The more I mature, the more I understand my value. I realized I had to take control of my work and my legacy because I wanted to be able to speak directly to my fans in an honest way. I wanted my words and my art to come directly from me. There were things in my career that I did because I didn’t understand that I could say no. We all have more power than we realize.”
Logic
Another rapper to pull a pump fake on his retirement is Logic, who elaborately shared with the world in 2020 that he was withdrawing. However, like many of his peers, this retirement was short-lived. Less than a year later, Logic was back to making music. Then, he finished his contract with Def Jam with the release of Vinyl Days. “I really just wanted to be off Def Jam, to be frank,” he told Variety in 2022.
“I did retire, for a little bit, at least in my mind, from the bullsh*t of the music industry. Then, I came to realize that none of this sh*t matters, that I can make music on my terms. So, let’s do that. That’s when I decided to come back from retirement. Last year, I released Bobby Tarantino III, just to get together songs I had, and put them out, then released this new album because I needed to fulfill my deal with Def Jam. With Vinyl Days, I did it in 12 days, and just wanted to have fun.”
Barack Obama is listening to everything from Charli XCX to Shaboozey, but apparently wasn’t feeling Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” leading to fans wondering whether the former President is on Team Drake. While “Not Like Us” has turned out to be one of the biggest songs of the summer so far, climbing to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 multiple times, it doesn’t appear on Obama’s recently shared summer 2023 playlist — even though the playlist includes entries from hip-hop faves like GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion, and Saweetie.
It isn’t like Obama dislikes the Compton rapper’s music; he’s hung out with the rapper on several occasions, and even admitted to having him on a much more private playlist. He even predicted that Kendrick would topple Drake in a theoretical rap battle, eight years before the two actually came to lyrical blows. Maybe his excluding “Not Like Us” was an oversight, or perhaps he simply wanted to keep things kosher for the playlist, which still feels like it has some obligation to be at least a little wholesome and less haterific.
Drake and Jay-Z had a close relationship early in the former’s career. The duo made two songs together, “Off That” and “Light Up” for The Blueprint 3 and Thank Me Later, respectively. Soon after, the two engaged in a friendly competition when Drake rapped about feeling that the throne was for the taking on “I’m On One,” a not-so-subtle reference to the Kanye West and Jay-Z collaborative album, Watch The Throne. In a Rolling Stone interview, Drake criticized Hov for the repeated art references. Jay-Z shot back on his freestyle over Soulja Boy’s “We Made It,” referring to Drake as “Miss Drizzy” and calling out rappers for never living their raps. The two patched the rift soon after.
In a new episode of The Bigger Picture podcast, Elliott Wilson explained how he helped get the two to squash their beef. “I got them back together, I got them to talk,” Wilson said. “Around the time when Drake was doing the tour with Lil Wayne and they had a show in Queens, Drake came backstage and hugged me and was like, ‘I spoke to Hov. We’re figuring it out.’ He was excited that they had finally talked,” he added.
How Elliott Wilson Helped Drake And Jay-Z Squash Their Beef
After the pair reconciled, Drake and Jay-Z collaborated again on “Talk Up,” a track from Drake’s 2018 album Scorpion. That is their most recent song together, though it does not seem that they have any leftover beef with each other.
Drake and Elliott Wilson have had their own falling out since then. The UPROXX Editorial Director and former head of Rap Radar is no longer on the best of terms with the Canadian rapper. Wilson claimed that he was “blacklisted” from Toronto after the battle with Kendrick Lamar. Wilson was highly critical of Drake’s tracks in Lamar’s direction, declaring Lamar the winner after “Not Like Us” dropped. The longtime hip-hop journalist was an early proponent of Drake. He had the opportunity to sit down with the rapper in 2020 for an all-encompassing interview. However, things changed in the last couple of years and got even worse this past spring. Maybe those two could use a third person to help get them to navigate their own issues with one another.
It’s been quite a year for Kendrick Lamar. “Not Like Us,” one of his many Drake diss tracks, went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “The Pop Out — Ken & Friends” show was a one-of-a-kind California performance. He’s even working on a movie with South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
Really, the only blemish on Lamar’s 2024 is the time he confused Haley Joel Osment for Joel Osteen. On “Euphoria,” he raps, “Am I battlin’ ghost or AI / N**** feelin’ like Joel Osteen / Funny, he was in a film called A.I. / And my sixth sense tellin’ me to off him.” One is an acclaimed actor and the voice of Sora in the Kingdom Hearts video games (Osment); the other is a shady televangelist (Osteen). But The Sixth Sense and A.I. Artificial Intelligence actor thinks the mix-up might have been on purpose.
“I think he’s too precise,” Osment told the Associated Press at the premiere of Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice (via Billboard). “I don’t know for sure and I’m not gonna assume that he knows my exact name, but the way I’ve heard people talk about that and certain analysis that I’ve read about it, I think that it’s an intentional scrambling of my name and that other guy’s name. Because Kendrick’s too precise to just make a mistake like that.”
Or maybe the simplest explanation is the correct one: Kendrick really did confuse the two. Here’s another way to tell them apart so this doesn’t happen again: no one ever found bags of money in Haley Joel Osment’s church.
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