JAY-Z

Jay-Z Won’t Let Ne-Yo Live Down Giving “Let Me Love You” Away To Mario

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Ne-Yo has given us no shortage of hits throughout his career, from “Miss Independent” and “So Sick” to “She Knows” and “Time of Our Lives.” Even with all that he’s achieved, the R&B singer says that Jay-Z still won’t let him live down his decision to give 2004’s “Let Me Love You” to Mario. Ne-Yo reflected on the hit song during his appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, revealing that Hov gives him hell to this day about not keeping the single for himself.

As the 43-year-old tells it, he was primarily working as a songwriter prior to signing with Def Jam Records in 2005. Because he wasn’t focused on a career as a vocalist at the time, he happily passed “Let Me Love You” off to another artist. “So this song goes on and stays at number one for 12 or 13 weeks, something like that, becomes one of the most played songs in radio history,” Ne-Yo said of Mario’s work. “The first time I got to meet Jay-Z, I’d been signed for a couple of months at this point. I walk into the room and he’s in there,” his story continued.

Read More: Jay-Z Sabotaged His Own Artists, Says TK Kirkland

Ne-Yo Reflects on “Let Me Love You”

“It’s in L.A. Reid’s office. I walk in, ‘Hey it’s nice to meet you.’ He’s like, ‘Man, why you give that damn song away?’ Nice to meet you too bruh, cool. I’m Ne-Yo,” the Arkansas native joked. “To this day, he yell at me about giving that damn song away. But I was just a songwriter when I wrote it, I didn’t write it for myself.” After listening to his guest’s story, Sharpe asked Ne-Yo if he believes he could’ve outdone Mario’s version of the song.

The father of five gave his contemporary his flowers, saying, “I’ll be the first to tell you that Mario got chops that I don’t.” However, because he knows he’s got chops of his own, he “feels like it would’ve worked out either way.” Do you think Ne-Yo could’ve found more success by keeping “Let Me Love You” for himself? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more music/pop culture news updates.

Read More: Ne-Yo Shares Open Message To People Hating On His Personal Life

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Jay-Z Scored Nearly $7 Million After An Appeals Court Ruled In His Favor In A Cologne Endorsement Deal Lawsuit

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A New York appeals court has upheld the 2021 ruling against Parlux in Jay-Z’s lawsuit against the brand, confirming that the brand owes him nearly $7 million in unpaid royalties. While a 2022 report originally detailed a $4.5 million payout was owed, Billboard reported today that after losing its appeal, Parlux now owes Jay $6.8 million.

The company originally sued Jay-Z for breach of contract in 2016, asking for $67 million after claiming it had lost $18 million on a 2013 fragrance partnership with the rap mogul due to his refusal to follow through on his obligations to promote it. Among the accusations was one that Jay had foregone promotional appearances and kept a $20,000 prototype bottle after rejecting its design for use on the line.

Jay countersued, saying that the company had given him sketchy, inaccurate documentation on its financial health and failed to pay all the royalties he was owed over the course of the partnership. The 2021 trial took three weeks, after which a jury determined that Jay did not owe Parlux; then, New York Supreme Court Justice Andrew Borrok ruled Parlux owes Jay-Z $6.78 million in unpaid royalties, including interest.

Parlux’s appeal hinged on a belief that the trial judge had improperly instructed the jury about requirements in the contract about Jay-Z’s personal appearances. According to Billboard, Parlux can continue to appeal but has not indicated any plans to do so.

Future & Jay-Z Were Happy To See Each Other During Beyonce’s Paris “RENAISSANCE” Performance

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Beyonce has clearly been having a blast on her RENAISSANCE World Tour so far. While she’s been entertaining tens of thousands of fans multiple times a week across Europe, her husband, Jay-Z has been making headlines as well thanks to his antics in the audience. During opening night, he and Tyler Perry were caught on camera happily applauding a young couple as they got engaged during Bey’s performance in Stockholm. More recently, the father of three was seen grooving out with Megan Thee Stallion in the crowd.

Currently, the Destiny’s Child alum is camped out in Paris, where she has a handful of stadium shows lined up. Blue Ivy joined her to show off her impressive (albeit still criticized) dance moves during one of them. Elsewhere in the stunning city, Jay-Z linked up with some longtime friends at the RENAISSANCE venue, including Future. In a photo dump shared by @kodaklens, the New Yorker and Hendrix are seen smiling during a conversation mid-way through the post.

Read More: Jay-Z & Tyler Perry Applaud Couple’s Engagement During Beyonce’s “RENAISSANCE” Tour

It remains unclear what the two music moguls were discussing. Nevertheless, fans of both would certainly be happy to hear another collaboration is in the works. They’ve never teamed up as a duo. However, in the past, we’ve heard Future and Jay-Z alongside DJ Khaled on 2016’s “I Got the Keys.” A few years later they joined the producer once again, this time also tapping Beyonce for 2019’s “Top Off.”

While the Roc Nation founder hasn’t explicitly shared plans to release anything in the near future, rumour has it that his wife could have another RENAISSANCE remix on the way. This past weekend, it was reported that she and Ariana Grande will team up to reimagine “PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA,” though we’re still awaiting official confirmation. Would you like to hear Future and Jay-Z hop on another track together? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.

Read More: Toosii Taps Future For “Favorite Song (Toxic Version)” Remix

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HaHa Davis Reflects On Taking Dinner With Jay-Z Over $500K, Says Hov Declined To Eat

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It’s the age-old question – $500K or dinner with Jay-Z? The topic has long been one of debate on social media, with answers being equally divided between getting advice straight from one of the industry’s biggest figures over a fine meal and pocketing half a million to use as you see fit. Comedian HaHa Davis fell into the former category, and actually got to sit down with Hov for a one-hour meeting, though there wasn’t actually any food involved.

“I enjoyed the lunch with Jay,” Davis confirmed during a recent podcast interview. “When I met Jay, he sat down and his shirt didn’t wrinkle. Like, what type of money is that?” the funny man quipped, keeping his friends laughing. “And when we was sitting down, they asked was we hungry. Jay was like, ‘Nah, I’m straight.’ We was starving but we couldn’t be the only ones eating and Jay not eating. We left there starving!” HaHa painfully admitted, everyone around him continuing to chuckle.

Read More: The “Dinner With Jay-Z” Twitter Debate Resurfaces

HaHa Davis Recalls Dining with Jay-Z

Elsewhere during his appearance on The Barbershop Podcast, Davis noted that the meeting lasted exactly 60 minutes. While he didn’t confirm whether or not he earned the $500K as a result of taking the father of three’s advice, he did share that he’s seen several business opportunities in the time since. As we previously reported, the 30-year-old isn’t the only one who would pick a meal with the Watch the Throne rapper over cash. Diddy’s son, King Combs, spoke on the debate in late 2022, making it clear that time with Jay-Z would be far more valuable to him.

“I would say Hov. Before I dropped this song we had a talk and that inspired me a lot,” he told Bootleg Kev at the time. “He was just saying, you know, like, believe in yourself and just always like, follow what’s in your heart and not what no one else is saying, just do it. What’s in your heart.” Would you take $500K over dinner with Jay-Z? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.

Read More: Beyonce & Jay-Z’s $200M California Mansion Called “Ugly,” Compared To A “Prison”

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Jay-Z & Megan Thee Stallion Link Up At Beyonce’s Paris Concert

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Beyonce’s RENAISSANCE tour doesn’t just have one of the world’s biggest artists as its headliner; it also brings a lot of extra star power. Moreover, her husband Jay-Z and collaborator Megan Thee Stallion pulled up to one of her various tour stops in Paris, France to enjoy the show together. In addition, this was apparently the same show in which Blue Ivy joined her mom on stage as a dancer, getting lots of love from fans at the show and online alike. In the short clip of their visit to the show, they dance along to the music and laugh with each other.

Not a bad place to hang out and have fun for the Roc Nation representatives; the best place, in fact, some would say. After all, this was quite the stellar concert in particular for many reasons, even if fans have been loving the entire tour so far. For example, Beyonce also took some time to tribute the late great Tina Turner during her performance. Whether it’s through her passion for her own music or that of other legends, Meg’s fellow Houston-born friend always finds meaningful ways to connect with fans.

Read More: Megan Thee Stallion’s Most Streamed Songs

Megan Thee Stallion & Jay-Z Dancing At Beyonce’s Paris Show

Meanwhile, Megan Thee Stallion is still locked in a legal battle with her former label, 1501 Entertainment. For those unaware, the Hottie accused the imprint of holding her contract hostage and not allowing her to release music under her own terms or those set out by said document. Furthermore, she believes they imposed various obstacles on her music drops and refused to acknowledge long-form releases as apt fulfillments of her deal. Ironically enough, these issues surged after the rapper signed a management deal with Hov’s Roc Nation, allegedly much to the surprise of Carl Crawford of 1501.

Still, at least she could hopefully get a nice distraction from all of that from seeing a fantastic show. It’s been a rough few years for Megan, but she kept her head up through it all and is sure to feed fans more greatness in the future. Until then, we’re all patiently waiting… and envious of everyone else who was in Paris that night. For more updates and the latest news on Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Megan Thee Stallion, keep checking in with HNHH.

Read More: Megan Thee Stallion Net Worth 2023: What Is She Worth?

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Beyonce & Jay-Z’s $200M California Mansion Called “Ugly,” Compared To A “Prison”

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As prices on essentially everything continue to rise, it’s becoming abundantly obvious that the working class is fed up with rich people. Exuberant displays of wealth no longer tantalize the masses in the way they used to. Instead, the world prefers to hear about celebrities giving up their wealth to charity, and stepping out of their bubbles of fame and fortune to remember what life is like for the majority of the population. Earlier this month it was not only announced that Beyonce could earn upwards of $2 billion in ticket sales from her RENAISSANCE World Tour, but also that she and Jay-Z made history by purchasing the most expensive mansion in California history – in cash.

Obviously, members of the BeyHive were as pleased to hear of their favourite singer’s continued success as ever. Elsewhere on social media, others have been expressing feelings of disgust over the displays of mass spending, which arguably could be put toward more humanitarian efforts than another mansion for the Carters. “[Who] cares, people can barely afford their rent. No one is happy for them,” one Twitter user declared after hearing the news earlier this week.

Read More: Beyonce & Jay-Z Paid Cash For Their Impressive New House

Beyonce and Jay-Z Expand Their Empire

Jay-Z and Beyonce perform on stage during the “On the Run II” tour opener at Principality Stadium on June 6, 2018, in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For Parkwood Entertainment)

“The house isn’t even pretty from the outside, not to mention no one needs a home that darn big,” someone else pointed out. “Donate to charities, feed the poor children, help the homeless… This is all for show,” they suggested. Others shared their opinions that the couple bought the home to help them during tax time, proving how money savvy they’ve become throughout their careers.

Aside from those ranting about Bey and Jay keeping their cash to themselves, others are simply annoyed that a home which looks so plain from the outside could cost $200M. “Looks like a concrete prison. I guess there’s no accounting for taste,” one critic wrote. “The only thing that looks good is the ocean,” another added, admiring the view.

Read More: Beyonce’s Latest “RENAISSANCE” Tour Photo Dump Is Giving “ALIEN SUPERSTAR”

Twitter Reacts

Keep scrolling to see more Twitter reactions to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s new California home. Are you a fan of the property? Let us know in the comments, and tap back in with HNHH all weekend for more pop culture/music news.

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DJ Drama Believes Tupac & Biggie Would’ve Been As Rich As Jay-Z, Diddy & Dr. Dre

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Nearly three decades after their death, there are still very few rappers as revered and celebrated as Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Moreover, a lot has been speculated over what they would be up to today had they not lost their lives. During a recent appearance on the Jay Hill Podcast, DJ Drama added his hat into the ring of that conversation. Furthermore, the Gangsta Grillz legend believes that they would be at the same level of today’s most successful and entrepreneurial rap titans. He brought up Dr. Dre, Diddy, Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z as names that the two deceased MCs would rank among.

“When you go back and you listen to Big’s albums or Big’s lyrics, he’s still 20-plus years of saying s**t that’s still impeccable bar-wise,” DJ Drama shared. “‘Pac, the same thing. They both died when they was like 25. Let’s think about where all those that were around them are now. If we think about Dr. Dre, we think about Snoop, we think about Hov, we think about Puff. These are all people that are some of the biggest, most successful and richest people in our culture today.

Read More: DJ Drama Net Worth 2023: What Is The Legend Worth?

DJ Drama’s Comments On Biggie & Tupac On The Jay Hill Podcast

“Big and ‘Pac would’ve been right there, if not bigger,” DJ Drama continued. “Let’s really think about it. Look where Snoop and Dre are, look where [Puff] and Hov are. Why would we not think by any means that Big and ‘Pac would not be right up there, billionaires within the culture? They was on their way. Big and ‘Pac wouldn’t have fell off, by no means. They would’ve been up there with the n***as I just named doing amazing things in music and outside of music for sure.”

Of course, Biggie and Tupac’s legacies are so legendary and widespread that they manifest in many ways, whether respectful, culturally impactful, lucrative, or unconventional. On that last category, artificial intelligence renditions featuring Biggie’s voice have been quite controversial lately, for example. While Timbaland made his dream collab as a result, many wonder whether this is the right way to preserve fallen artists’ memories. Regardless, there’s no doubt that no amount of money could ever quantify their impact. For more news and the latest updates on your favorite rap artists of the old and new guards, stick around on HNHH.

Read More: 7 Rappers Who Have Won Posthumous Awards: Pop Smoke, Tupac & More

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Jay-Z Told Ludacris Why He Thinks Luda Doesn’t Get The ‘Lyrical Credit’ He’s Owed

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The “Top 5, dead or alive“/ Mount Rushmore of Rap conversation resurfaces online every few months, giving fans another opportunity to debate the best lyricists the genre has produced. However, one rapper feels that he’s been unfairly left out of the discussion. Ludacris was a dominant force throughout the 2000s, with a slew of hits and respected guest verses, but recently revealed he doesn’t think he gets enough credit for his lyrics.

Appearing on the All The Smoke podcast, Luda told hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that Jay-Z once offered a theory for fans’ resistance to giving him his flowers. “Jay-Z was one of the ones that said, you know, he don’t think I get the lyrical credit that I deserve because of the visuals,” Ludacris recalled. “People ask me, ‘Why don’t you think get the credit?’ Because I played too goddamn much, that’s what I do! And I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s why my name is Ludacris because it’s beyond crazy, it’s wild, it’s ridiculous.”

Jay may have a point. Ludacris garnered plenty of attention with his eye-popping, humorous music videos. Whether he was floating upside down through the streets of Atlanta, mauling obnoxious partygoers with cartoonishly muscular arms, or carrying a literal little person on his necklace, Luda went out of his way to make sure the videos for many of his biggest hits were memorable. But maybe they were so memorable for their comedy people forgot to remember that he was rapping his ass off in the songs themselves.

However, he still enjoyed tremendous success in his day, and continues to receive accolades like a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame — albeit for his acting rather than his rapping. That’s kind of fitting when you think about it. Of course, I have a controversial theory of my own, which I shared here.

Jay-Z Believes People Don’t Credit Ludacris’ Lyrical Ability

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Occasional collaborators Jay-Z and Ludacris might operate on different lyrical lanes in many’s eyes, but the former believes that to be a false assumption. Moreover, the Illinois-born and Atlanta-bred rap legend recently appeared on the All The Smoke podcasts with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. During their conversation, they eventually got to the topic of Luda’s outlandish and iconic music videos, a definitive sliver of his illustrious, influential, and chart-topping career. The 45-year-old recalled Hov telling him that his focus on visuals made people overlook his ability as an MC. Still, he expressed that he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It was big,” Ludacris said of his MV endeavors back in the day, which translated into a successful acting career later on. “But there was a downside to it because even JAY-Z was one of the ones that said, you know, he don’t think I get the lyrical credit that I deserve because of the visuals. People ask me, ‘Why don’t you think get the credit?’ Because I played too goddamn much, that’s what I do! And I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s why my name is Ludacris, because it’s beyond crazy, it’s wild, it’s ridiculous. I like post-effects and augmenting reality, big-ass shoes with big-ass chains, and bobble heads and all that. So I get it, I can’t be mad at it. I just have to show the multi-faceted aspects of myself and I actually love that.

Read More: Ludacris Movies You Should Stream Right Now

Ludacris’ Full Interview On All The Smoke

“I want to say like half a mil, something like that,” Ludacris responded to a question about his biggest music video budget. “Maybe it inched up to that $600,000. But you hear about when Diddy and Ma$e did the $1 million videos, it was a couple of those. I think Wu-Tang, that ‘Triumph’ video, Steve Rifkind said he did a million. I never made it to the million category, I never wanted to do that, but I did about half of that.”

Of course, this is far from the first time where the New York legend gave credit where it was due- although last time, it was to the newer generation. Jay-Z praised Vince Staples’ latest album Ramona Park Broke My Heart for its storytelling and creativity. From one of hip-hop’s all-time greats, recognition from his pen means a lot. Then again, how did we ever come to doubt Velvet Jones’ dominance on the mic in the first place? Regardless, come back to HNHH for the latest news and updates on Jay-Z and Ludacris.

Read More: Jay-Z Net Worth 2023: What Is The Rap Legend Worth?

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A.I. Shows What Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj & More Would Look Like When Older

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Artificial intelligence in music provoked a lot of discussion, condemnation, but also celebration among the industry. Whether it was fake tracks with other rappers’ voices, AI-generated lyrics, or covers of famous songs by deceased legends, it took the world by storm in these past few months. However, let’s not forget that AI started making waves in the visual medium before it hit our ears. Moreover, now we have a bit of a combination of those two enterprises to once again bring hip-hop fans a curious thought experiment. Have you ever wondered what Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, and many more would look like when they’re much, much older?

Well, now we might know, as AI artist David Zinyama uploaded various rappers aging (with help from the tech algorithm) on Tuesday (May 23). Other figures he used artificial intelligence to age include Beyoncé, Cardi B, Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, DJ Khaled, J. Cole, and Usher. Presumably, the program generated the renditions based on one or various pictures of them and predicted what the change would look like in an unspecified amount of years. Furthermore, most are hard to believe, a few are pretty spot-on, but all of them are very uncanny. Also, some commenters pointed out that they look more like other people than they do themselves.

Read More: Frank Ocean A.I. Tracks Net Scammer Thousands In Sales

How Will Your Favorite Rappers Age? AI Has A Guess

Still, this wave of debate around AI in art, when compared to that of AI in music, is a different but no less worrisome beast. For example, Will.i.am warned Sirius XM during an interview that these advancements go far beyond just music or art, and that steps must be taken to ensure people’s private rights to their image and voice are preserved. “We all have voices, and everyone’s compromised because there are no rights or ownership to your facial math or your voice frequency,” he stated. “So, forget songs. Banks. People calling up your bank pretending to be you. Forget songs. Just family matters and wiring money. You’re getting a FaceTime or a Zoom call and because there’s no intelligence on the call, there’s nothing to authenticate AI call or a person call.

“That’s the urgent thing, protecting our facial math,” he continued, “I am my face math, I don’t own that. I own the rights to ‘I Gotta Feeling’, I own the rights to the songs I wrote, but I don’t own the rights to my face or my voice? There’s new laws and new industries about to boof. This time next year you’ll be like, ‘Will.i.am said that on that radio station.’ Fact is, these are all new parameters that we’re all trying to navigate around because the technology is that amazing and with amazingness comes regulations and governance that we have yet to implement.” Let us know what you think of these renditions and the role of AI in art in the comments down below. In addition, come back to HNHH for the latest bizarre offerings and crossovers in the AI and music world.

Read More: Jay-Z A.I. Verse Scares Hip-Hop World

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