It’s Halloween for most of the world, but it’s Young Thug’s day for hip hop fans. The rapper was set free on Thursday after a lengthy trial. He was given 15 years probation, and a host of conditions upon release, but he was released, and that’s what matters. The hip hip world showed their support for Young Thug all throughout his trial. Other rappers made it clear that they were desperate to see their peer released, so he could assume his legendary career. Now that it’s happened, the celebration has begun.
Sexyy Red, a rapper who was repeatedly cited Young Thug as her “twin,” took to Twitter to voice her happiness. “They let twin out,” she exclaimed. Jay Electronica took a wordier, Jay Electronica-esque approach in his tweet. He praised Allah and reminded Thugger to make the most of his second chance. “Praise be to Allah they let this man come home,” he wrote. “Be Great Slime.” DJ Mustard also got in on the celebration by noting that Halloween has been topped. “Thug free,” he tweeted out. “What a day!” NBA athlete James Harden voiced his support more subtly. He tweeted out a snake to represent the rapper’s “slime” aesthetic.
The most notable show of love, however, came from Travis Scott. Thug and Travis Scott rose to fame around the same time. Thugger appeared on Scott’s breakout mixtape, Days Before Rodeo. He’s stellar on the track “Mamacita,” which gained renewed interest during his trial. The mixtape was uploaded to streaming, which exposed it to a brand new generation. “Mamacita” also featured an exemplary verse from Thug’s friend Rich Homie Quan, who died on September 5. Young Thug and the Astroworld superstar have a particularly strong bond.
Unsurprisingly, Travis Scott posted a photo alongside Thugger. He posted the photo on his Instagram Story with the caption: “My brudda otw home.” The man who narrated Travis Scott’s first album, Rodeo, also stepped in with words of support. T.I. posted his own photos of Thug on Twitter. “Welcome Home lil bruddah,” he wrote. “It’s been too long… Time to get back to it!!!” T.I. had previously gone on record to state that he would make sure Thug was taken care of when he got home. Thankfully, he’s home a lot sooner than anybody anticipated. Check out additional celeb posts below.
JAY-Z and Kendrick Lamar are not the most likable people right now. Over the last several days, people online have been passionately voicing their support for Lil Wayne since he went undrafted again so to speak for the Super Bowl Halftime Show. With the game once again being hosted by New Orleans, almost everyone is upset that an outsider to Louisiana got the nod instead. Overall, there has been a very small amount of support for the aforementioned artists since the announcement, but one of Hov’s close collaborators is looking to fight off the haters, perhaps on his own based on how fiery his defense was.
That man is Jay Electronica, and according to XXL there are a whole bunch of tweets. There’s a lot to break down, but the overall gist of his argument is that everyone is taking this way too seriously. Instead, they should be focusing their hate and opinions on more serious matters in America. This tweet from Jay Elec perhaps best sums up the plethora of messages.
It reads, “And how yall so quick to let yall gun bust at your brother over nothing. If yall would put 10 percent of this negative energy over a FOOTBALL game into unifying for one common cause, our ppl would be free overnight. Salaaam Alaikum”. There’s also this one: “And let’s be real. @50cent just opened an entire industry in shreveport and these pu**y a** nights slave c**ning over a football game. If you don’t get the f*** outta my face”. There’s plenty of others to get into, so if you want to read them all, check the second “[Via]” link below.
More Tweets From Jay Elec
What are your thoughts on Jay Electronica’s defense of JAY-Z amid all of the criticism online? Do you think he made some valid points, or did he lose you? Is this debate between Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne 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 Jay Electronica, JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, and the Super Bowl debate. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
The hip-hop world has been in a heated frenzy lately due to Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s beef. The two rap giants have been going at each other with everything they’ve got, wowing and shocking everyone as they did. It all began after Kendrick dissed Drake and J. Cole in “Like That” from Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You. Drake responded to Kendrick’s diss with “Push Ups” and the A.I.-generated track “Taylor Made Freestyle.” In “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Drake used an AI version of 2Pac and was forced to take the song down after the late rapper’s estate threatened to sue him.
It took a while for Kendrick to respond to Drake. However, he did so to a great effect with “Euphoria” and “6:16 In LA.” Drake returned fire with “Family Matters,” but he got a response from Kendrick less than an hour later, as the latter released “Meet The Grahams.” Kendrick continued the offensive with the diss track/club banger “Not Like Us.” Drake responded to Kendrick with “The Heart Part 6,” where he seemingly noted that he was done with the rap beef.
Amid Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s beef, both rappers made serious but unsubstantiated allegations against each other. For instance, Kendrick accused Drake and his crew of pedophilia, while Drake alleged Kendrick physically assaulted his fiancée, Whitney Alford. The war of words between both rappers entered grim territory following the release of “Family Matters,” causing several debates online as fans analyzed several aspects of the diss tracks. While Kendrick Lamar was generally considered the victor in his beef with Drake, some rappers gave it up to Drake. Here are rappers who think Drake won the rap beef over Kendrick Lamar.
Azealia Banks is no stranger to feuds and has been involved in many herself. Hence, she is one person whose opinion will count in the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar beef. Azealia shared her thoughts on the rap beef via posts on her Instagram Story. She sided with Drake after he released “The Heart Part 6.” In the track, Drake revealed he planted the story about him having a secret daughter, which Kendrick bought. With that revelation, Drake made it look like Kendrick was obsessed with him and would buy any negative story about him. In her post, Azealia said Drake’s beef songs were catchy and had more replay value than Kendrick’s. She also said Kendrick was obsessed with Drake and seemed desperate in the ongoing feud.
Rapper Jay Electronica seemingly took Drake’s side of the beef when he tweeted a track from the latter’s Certified Lover Boy album. Jay Electronica made the tweet after Kendrick released “Euphoria,” and though he didn’t caption the post, many fans believed it showed he was taking Drake’s side in the beef. After “Euphoria,” Drake and Kendrick Lamar went back to back, releasing diss track after diss track. However, despite the internet being divided over which of the feuding rappers won the rap beef, Jay Electronica stood with Drake.
Jay Electronica doubled down on his support for Drake with a now-deleted tweet after “Heart Part 6” was released. The tweet was accompanied by Larry Graham and Graham Central Station’s album art for My Radio Sure Sounds Good To Me. It read, “I’ve loved this record since a child. It was one of my Mother’s FAVOURITES. Also, as a qualified observer. Drake punishing these boys. I don’t care what nobody say. Don’t @ me. You’re not qualified.”
Rapper and podcast host Gillie Da Kid shared a hot take about the Kendrick Lamar vs Drake beef shortly after the latter released “The Heart Part 6.” Gillie took to his Instagram page and shared a video where he declared, “It’s over with! Light-skinned n***as won. They took that shit, man. That shit over with, man. Kendrick can’t come back.” Gillie added that he felt Kendrick ended Drake with “Not Like Us.” However, Drake’s response in “The Heart Part 6” made him change his mind and believe Drake won the beef. Gillie captioned his video post, “It’s over with Litskin ni$$az won .”
The Kendrick Lamar vs Drake beef has dominated headlines over the last few weeks. For now, things have slowed down following Drake saying he was done with the beef in “The Heart Part 6.” Kendrick is yet to respond to that track and no one knows if he will. There continue to be different views about which rapper won the beef, but the above-mentioned MCs believe Drake has an edge over Kendrick Lamar. Do you agree with them? Who do you think won the rap beef? Let us know in the comment section below.
There are two kinds of rappers these days. The ones who are beefing with Drake, and the ones who have opinions about the Drake beef. Jay Electronica falls under the latter group. The New Orleans rapper took to X (formerly Twitter) to weigh in on the biggest hip-hop narrative of 2024, and he did so in a way that was classic Jay Elect. Instead of coming and stating how he felt, the rapper dropped references to two classic films.
The first film Jay Electronica referenced was Good Night, and Good Luck (2005). The Oscar-nominated drama is about Edward R. Murrow, a TV journalist who dared to push against the Red Scare narrative put forth by Joseph R. McCarthy in the 1950s. The rapper tweeted the title of the film, which is an expression meant to convey the notion that one must rely on themselves in the face of tremendous adversity. The same kind of adversity Drake is facing from every corner of the music industry at the moment.
“Good Night and Good Luck” was also the title of a Drake song from 2008. The song was Drake’s first ever diss, and it helped him to demolish a Toronto rapper named Aristo. It’s unclear if Jay Electronica quoted the expression with the context of Drake’s battle history in mind, but given his rapping abilities, it’s certainly possible.
The other film Jay Elect referenced was First Blood (1982), the first entry in the Rambo franchise. The specific scene sees Rambo’s ex-commander warn the local sheriff not to challenge the Vietnam veteran. “Are you telling me that 200 men against your boy is a no-win situation?,” the sheriff asks, to which the ex-commander states: “If you send that many don’t forget one thing. A good supply of body bags.”
The parallel Jay Elect is making between Rambo and Drake are obvious, as both men are being forced into battle with their backs against the wall. Drake even dressed up like the action hero in the music video for “Way 2 Sexy.” Given that Rambo is a legendary killing machine, it’s safe to infer that Jay Electronica is confident in Drake’s ability to succeed.
During the headlining performance at his Dreamville Festival, J. Cole rescinded the shots he took at Kendrick Lamar on “7 Minute Drill.” The outro from his latest surprise album responded to Lamar’s verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” which dissed both Cole and Drake. On “7 Minute Drill,” J. Cole aimed at Kendrick’s discography and minimal output while also expressing hesitation to diss him out of love. His decision to backtrack the bars on his Might Delete Later outro has garnered polarizing reactions from the hip hop community. Social media may be in a frenzy over his public apology, but J. Cole is far from the first rapper to walk back their remarks against Kendrick Lamar. Today, we are revisiting five instances in which rappers have offered an apology to Kendrick Lamar. Take a look at the list below.
After taking home the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2014 for The Heist, Macklemore took to Instagram to reveal a text message he sent to Kendrick Lamar. “You got robbed,” he wrote. “I wanted you to win. You should have. It’s weird and sucks that I robbed you. I was gonna say that during the speech. Then the music started playing during the speech and I froze.” Many saw Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s win over Kendrick Lamar, Drake, JAY-Z, and Kanye West as a major upset for the hip hop community, despite their astronomical success as independent artists. The aftermath of The Heist’s Grammy win resulted in Macklemore’s apology to Kendrick Lamar, advocating that Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City should have won instead.
A few years after appearing on Big Sean’s “Control” alongside Kendrick Lamar, Jay Electronica dissed Lamar during a 2016 livestream. “Kendrick is my son, Kendrick is my baby, Kendrick wishes he could be me,” he said. Soon after, Jay Electronica released “#TBE The Curse of Mayweather,” in which he referenced Kendrick Lamar’s 11 Grammy nominations. “He’s got eleven Grammy nominations, y’all not equal / Maaaan f*ck these white people!” he raps. Ab-Soul defended his fellow Black Hippy member, dissing Jay on “RAW (Backwards).” Jay Electronica later issued a public apology to Kendrick Lamar, asking him and Top Dawg to “forgive [his] past transgressions.”
Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco has expressed his gripes with Kendrick Lamar on several occasions. He once said he does not regard Lamar as a top-tier lyricist, favoring rappers like King Los and Logic. “[Kendrick’s] overall lyrics are good, his stories phenomenal, but punchline entendre lyrically I don’t see it,” he said. In 2018, Lupe took to Twitter to voice his suspicions about Kendrick potentially copying his album cover. “Even I admit this is a little too close for comfort,” he captioned a side-by-side image of Kendrick and SZA’s “All the Stars” and the initial artwork for DROGAS WAVE. Lupe continued, “No matter how far you go… you will reflect me,” pointing out similarities between their album covers, reversed tracklists, and ninja-themed aesthetics.
Fiasco later backtracked his views, writing, “I apologize for even engaging and talking about n****s’ careers. I’ll never do that sh*t again.” This 2018 statement recently made headlines in light of J. Cole’s apology to Kendrick Lamar. Earlier this week, Lupe Fiasco clarified his remarks on Twitter, writing, “I wasn’t apologizing to him lol…I was sorry about the entire shindig because it was such a waste of time and energy in something that actually had nothing to do with me.” Despite his sentiment, Lupe also voiced that he “fears no rapper of any kind or on any time,” indicating that he is not ducking any smoke from any artist.
French Montana
In 2020, French Montana started a Twitter debate that he has more hits than Kendrick Lamar. He wrote, “If we just talking about anthems, me vs Kendrick hit for hit ! I believe I can go neck to neck!!” Doubling down on his declaration, he continued, “I love Kendrick! that’s not just for Kendrick that’s to anybody they put in front of me.” Young Thug even got involved in the conversation, sparking a Twitter debate. French Montana later retracted his statement, apologizing to Kendrick Lamar on Instagram Live. He said, “I want to do the positive thing here and stay out the way of trouble ‘cause at the end of the day, me, Thug and Kendrick [are] three different artists.”
Big Sean
Even after appearing together on songs like “Control” and “Holy Key,” Big Sean and Kendrick Lamar began their long history of subliminal exchanges. Sean allegedly dissed Kendrick on “No More Interviews,” leading many to believe that Lamar’s alleged shots on “The Heart Part IV” were targeted at Sean. In 2020, however, Big Sean revealed in his song “Deep Reverence” that he and Kendrick buried the hatchet. He raps, “I reached out to Kendrick, it wasn’t even no real issues there to begin with / Lack of communication and wrong information from people fueled by their ego, it’s like mixin’ flames with diesel.” The two reportedly remain friendly, though Kendrick Lamar’s outshining of Big Sean’s latest releases prompted more supposed shots.
Jay Electronica is a staunch supporter of Kanye West, whether it’s during his highest highs or his lowest lows. In fact, the two have kept up a pretty close relationship over the years, so it’s no surprise that the two would inspire and contribute to each other’s work. Ye shouted him out on “Saint Pablo” off 2016’s… you guessed it, The Life Of Pablo, and Electron’ was a feature on his 2021 album Donda, specifically the cut “Jesus Lord.” However, it seems like this bond might go deeper and even further back, as given a new tweet from the New Orleans MC around Friday (February 8), he might be responsible for one of Yeezy’s biggest hits.
“#truestories,” Jay Electronica began his message on the social media platform concerning the point of inspiration he offered Kanye West. “So when I was living in London, Ye and Virgil came to my house and stayed for a few days and I played them ‘FatbellyBella’ aka ‘Life on Mars’ and they eventually used that same melody line and sample for ‘Bound 2.’ Go listen.” Both songs sample the 1977 record “Aeroplane (Reprise)” by Wee. Unfortunately, Jay never hopped on the remix, something that Kanye invited him to do for his collab with The Game, “Eazy.”
Jay Electronica Recalls Kanye West & Virgil Abloh Visiting Him In London
Actually, there are a lot of instances in which these two MCs could’ve collaborated, but it just didn’t end up panning out. A relatively recent example is from back in 2020, when Jay Electronica geared up to release his studio debut, ct II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn). Kanye West was supposed to make the tracklist as a feature, but given what Jay said during this process, they couldn’t get permission cleared in time for the release. At least “Jesus Lord” came the very next year, so folks praying on a link-up could get their reward.
Meanwhile, both look forward to projects, apparently. You all probably know about Vultures, but Jay has another album on the way, reportedly titled Bismillah Boys, that he’s been teasing for a long time. Given both their incredible skill, plus their fair share of controversies and backlash for antisemitic remarks, either release will surely be a pretty dense dive. With that in mind, come back to HNHH for the latest news and updates on Kanye West and Jay Electronica.
Kendrick Lamar’sMr. Morale & The Big Steppers continues to rack up impressive streaming numbers. However, thanks to a viral clip floating around online, his 2017 song “Element” has reentered the mainstream hip-hop chatter. Unlike the official version, Kendrick’s bars in this recording have very clearly named targets. So, did Kendrick diss Big Sean on the unreleased version of “Element?”
The lyrics in question make it hard to refute: “Big Sean keep sneak dissin’ I let it slide / I think his false confidence got him inspired / I can’t make them respect you, baby, it’s not my job / You’re finally famous for who you date, not how you rhyme boy/ Cute ass raps, get your puberty up.” However, during his causal chat with TMZ, Big Sean shut down the idea of any lingering beef between the two.
He went as far as to dismiss the supposed leaked verse, saying, “Ain’t no diss. If it was a diss, it would be a diss!”
Big Sean was the only person mentioned in the unreleased recording. French Montana and Jay Electronica both caught strays. Even Meek Mill and Drake are referenced. Since Kendrick Lamar’s verse on Big Sean’s 2013 “Control” song, supporters of each rapper have speculated that they’ve subtly taken jabs at each other on records throughout the years.
Listen to the official version of Kendrick Lamar’s song “Element” above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Jay Electronica appears ready to deliver his second album. Hitting X, Jay Elect wrote “ALBUM TIME” and provided a sample of a new single. In a follow-up message on Instagram, Jay Electronica states that the album will be called Bismillah Boys.
Now, here’s the kicker. Jay Elect tagged a ton of artists. From Beyonce and Diddy to Conway the Machine and 2 Chainz. Could it be feautres? Or maybe just letting his friends know. We still have no clue. We also don’t know when the album is coming.
Patience is now our virtue with Jay Electronica. Peep the album updates below.
Vic Mensa officially shared an updated tracklist for his forthcoming sophomore album VICTOR (out this Friday). The new project will include features from Omari Hardwick, Jay Electronica, Common, Rapsody, DIXSON, Lekan, Ant Clemons, D Smoke, and Mr. Hudson. Earlier this week, the multi-platinum selling, GRAMMY-nominated rapper/producer also released an additional single from the record titled “LVLN UP” as part of the NFL and Roc Nation’s Songs of the Season initiative through the NFL’s Inspire Change social justice platform. Vic’s song is the newest addition to the multi-tier, season-long initiative that will highlight superstars and emerging artists of all genres. States Vic, ““LVLN UP” is a centerpiece of the VICTOR album. I made it in Ghana using samples of Ebo Taylor, a highlife pioneer from the 60s & 70s that was a contemporary of Fela Kuti. I produced the record and wrote the hook out there, but it wasn’t until I got locked up in early 2022 that I really got the inspiration to complete the record. It’s a super anthemic joint so to have it used in NFL Songs Of The Season works perfectly.” To celebrate the project, Vic Mensa will be hosting an album release event in his hometown of Chicago labeled as the “The Mensa Melee” in which Vic will set up a boxing ring and put on a boxing exhibition soundtracked by the album. Vic and Omari gave fans a first look at the event in the latest trailer shared on Vic’s Instagram account.
VICTOR TRACKLIST:
1. Sunday Morning Intro (feat. Omari Hardwick)
2. Victor
3. RUMORS
4. LVLN UP
5. The Weeping Poets (feat. Jay Electronica)
6. Swear
7. $WISH (feat. G-Eazy & Chance The Rapper)
8. sunset on the low end
9. STRAWBERRY LOUIS VUITTON (feat. Thundercat & Maeta)
10. $outhside Story (feat. Common)
11. Law of Karma
12. Blue Eyes
13. Blue Eyes (Interlude) (feat. Rapsody)
14. Sunday Evening Reprise (feat. DIXSON & Lekan)
15. all i kno
16. Ble$$ings (feat. Ant Clemons & D Smoke)
17. 14 Days (feat. Mr. Hudson)
18. Eastside Girl (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) (Bonus Track)
In a little under two days, Vic Mensa is finally releasing his second studio album, more than six years after his solo debut. He’s been rolling out Victor since January, when he shared the first single, “Strawberry Louis Vuitton” with Thundercat. Since then, he’s released a music video for “Swish” with Chance The Rapper and G-Eazy and a trailer for the project inspired by the world of modern art. He also joined Chance at a series of shows celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Rapper’s career-making mixtape, Acid Rap, opening with a salute to Vic’s own early fan favorite, Innanetape.
Below, you can find everything we know about Victor ahead of its release.
Release Date:
Victor is due on September 15 via Roc Nation Records.
Features:
In addition to longtime collaborator Chance The Rapper, G-Eazy, and Thundercat, the album will include appearances from actor Omari Hardwick, Chicago rap veteran Common, New Orleans hip-hop mystic Jay Electronica (incidentally, Vic received decidedly less backlash for Jay’s inclusion than fellow Windy City native Noname got), singers Ant Clemons, Dixson, Lekan, and Ty Dolla Sign, and Inglewood indie rap champion D Smoke.
Tracklist:
1. “Sunday Morning Intro” Feat. Omari Hardwick
2. “Victor”
3. “Rumors”
4. “Lvln Up”
5. “The Weeping Poets” Feat. Jay Electronica
6. “Swear”
7. “$WISH” Feat. G-Eazy & Chance The Rapper
8. “Sunset On The Low End”
9. “Strawberry Louis Vuitton” Feat. Thundercat & Maeta
10. “$outhside Story” Feat. Common
11. “Law Of Karma”
12. “Blue Eyes”
13. “Blue Eyes (Interlude)”
14. “Sunday Evening Reprise” Feat. Dixson & Lekan
15. “All I Kno”
16. “Ble$$ings” Feat. Ant Clemons & D Smoke
17. “14 Days”
18. “Eastside Girl (Bonus Track)” Feat. Ty Dolla $ign
Singles:
Previously released tracks include “Eastside Girl (Bonus Track),” “Blue Eyes,” and “Lvln Up.”
Tour:
While a tour has yet to be announced, Vic has a performance with Chance later this month: