Kendrick Lamar

LeBron James Warms Up To Drake Music After Being Unfollowed On IG

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Drake and LeBron James have always been linked. They were championed as the successors to JAY-Z and Michael Jordan, and for many, they’ve lived up to the hype. They are defining pop culture figures of the 2010s, and continue to put up massive numbers despite being veterans. The parallels were easy to make because Drake LeBron James were friends. They supported each other’s careers, and spoke very highly of each other’s skills. Then, the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle happened, and all that changed.

LeBron James seemingly took Lamar’s side in the battle. He attended the rapper’s “Pop Out” show on Juneteenth. He went viral for dancing in the audience to multiple performances of the Drake diss “Not Like Us.” LeBron James was also filmed telling Steph Curry how much he liked the song during the U.S. Olympics run. It makes sense that Drake felt betrayed by his high-profile friend. The rapper decided to unfollow James on Instagram on October 1. Then, a day later, James decided to throw it back and play Drake music during warm-ups.

Read More: Drake Unfollows Diddy On Instagram Following Mogul’s Allegations

LeBron James Took Shots To Drake’s “Free Smoke”

The Lakers Daily Twitter account posted footage of LeBron James and the rest of the L.A. team getting ready for practice. The legendary athlete is front-and-center, taking shots while Drake’s 2017 song “Free Smoke” plays in the background. The specific choice of song is worth noting. Drake’s kickoff to the More Life playlist is packed with subliminal bars and disses aimed at his enemies. There’s a certain irony in the fact that LeBron James is now seemingly counted among these enemies.

Rumors of Drake and LeBron James falling out have surfaced in the past. There was a going theory for a while that the Toronto rapper took shots at James on the 2023 song “Songs About My Brother.” There’s a few bars in which he tells an unidentified person that they aren’t on the level of the late Kobe Bryant. It didn’t gain much traction, though, as others theorized (and provided more evidence) that Drake wanted smoke with Kung-Fu Kenny instead. Regardless, the Instagram unfollow makes it pretty clear that things between these generational talents are not good as they once were. Nothing was the same.

Read More: LeBron James Reveals What Bronny Can’t Call Him On The Court

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‘Piece By Piece’: Everything To Know About Pharrell’s Lego Movie Featuring Kendrick Lamar And Snoop Dogg

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Focus Features

Pharrell Williams probably isn’t the first musician you would think of to have their life be turned into movie, let alone a Lego movie — until you take a look at how many hits he’s had a hand in.

With The Neptunes, there’s over a dozen top-10 hits, including “U Don’t Have to Call” by Usher, “Hot In Herre” by Nelly, “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake, “Milkshake” by Kelis, “Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg, “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani, and “Money Maker” by Ludacris. Pharrell also produced “Blurred Lines” and wrote “Happy” (which he also sings) and “Get Lucky,” two impossibly catchy songs that will be played at weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs until the end of time. So, yeah, with that context, the Pharrell movie Piece By Piece makes a lot more sense.

Here’s everything to know about Piece By Piece, including plot details, the voice cast, and when it comes out.

Plot

The trailer for Piece By Piece begins with Pharrell telling Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?) that it would be cool “if we told my story with Lego pieces.” It’s not dissimilar from how it happened in real life. “That’s how the conversation went down in my head,” Neville told Variety. “I didn’t know what it was going to be, but it was going to be interesting and I was completely in.”

Pharrell was initially wary of participating in a biopic or documentary about himself because “everyone was doing them at the time, and I was like, ‘Hell no.’ I never want to do what everybody else is doing. Everybody’s taking the Lincoln Tunnel, then I want to take a plane,” he explained. “But when [Neville] finally said the magic words, ‘You can do it any way you want,’ I knew deep down inside that I wanted to do it through Lego.” Sounds like enjoyed Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga as much as I did (fun game!).

Piece By Piece features animated reenactments of key moments in Pharrell’s life and interviews with some of his famous collaborators, including Kendrick Lamar, Gwen Stefani, and Jay Z. Except they didn’t know they were going to appear in Lego form. “We purposely did not tell anyone that that would be the finished product. We wanted people to just answer the questions and really give their full, unedited reactions to the opportunity to do the interviews,” the hit-maker confessed. “Because if we would’ve said, ‘Okay, this is going to be in Lego,’ then people would have sort of curved what they were saying.”

Pharrell’s hope with Piece By Piece is to inspire people to follow their ambitions, as he did. “It’s never too late for you to go pick up a Lego set and make things and be a co-creator. It’s never too late to wake up to that. It’s never too late to gain that self-awareness,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “This is my dream, for people to have that.”

Cast

The voice cast consists of [famous person] as themselves, beginning with Pharrell Williams as, well, himself. There’s also Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay Z, and Snoop Dogg.

Release Date

It’s surprisingly been five years since the last big-screen Lego movie, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. That streak comes to an end on October 11, when Piece By Piece opens in theaters (the same weekend as Saturday Night, Terrifier 3, and We Live In Time — and they say counterprogramming is dead).

Trailer

You can check out the trailer for Piece By Piece below.

Drake Unfollows LeBron James And Kendrick Lamar On Instagram

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Drake decided to clean house on October 1. The OVO co-founder was following lots of notable rappers and celebrities on Instagram, despite their seeming willingness to clown him. LeBron James was at the Kendrick Lamar “Pop Out” show on Juneteenth. He was also caught on camera talking about how much he liked Lamar’s “Not Like Us” diss. It seemed like Drake finally pulled the trigger on axing King James from his circle. He unfollowed the NBA superstar on Tuesday, along with a host of other big names.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Drake was unfollowing people left and right. He unfollowed Kendrick Lamar, which makes sense to an extent. If anything, it was strange that the 6 God was still following K. Dot after their battle. Drake also unfollowed Metro Boomin, Joe Budden, DeMar DeRozan and Playboi Carti. These all line up with the events of the battle. Metro Boomin started the whole thing with “Like That.” DeRozan danced on stage at the “Pop Out” and made a cameo in the “Not Like Us” video. Joe Budden has always been a vocal critic of the 6 God. The only real head scratcher in the bunch is Playboi Carti. The cult icon has worked with Drake on multiple occasions, including the recent song “No Face.”

Read More: Drake Hints At Release Date For PARTYNEXTDOOR Collab Album

Drake Is Still Following Future On Instagram

Drake and Carti appeared to have a solid relationship. The latter was, however, removed from the “No Face” version that landed on streaming. The 6 God’s decision may also stem from the people that Carti is affiliated with. Playboi Carti recently clowned streamer Adin Ross, who appears to have a good bond with Drizzy. He also dropped a massive collab single with The Weeknd, who has been one of Drake’s enemies for over a decade. DJ Akademiks documented these unfollowings on his own Instagram.

Interestingly, one artist involved in the battle was exempt. Despite being on the song that started the beef, “Like That,” Future is still being followed by Drake. Those who have been keeping up with the saga between these two artists know that Drake was particularly hurt by the falling out he had with Pluto. He said as much in the song “Family Matters.” “Pluto sh*t make me sick to my stomach, we ain’t never really been through it,” he raps. “Leland Wayne, he a f*ckin’ lame, so I know he had to be an influence.” Maybe there’s hope for a reconciliation down the line.

Read More: Drake Spotted In Turks & Caicos Following Tumultuous Summer

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Zion Williamson Gets Fed Up With Reporter Asking Why Kendrick Lamar Wasn’t On His Playlist

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The 2024-2025 NBA season is approaching fast, and this year’s media day has already come and went. However, one team’s player is making some headlines for their press conference appearance. According to Billboard, New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson answered various questions throughout his 13 minutes on the mic. However, one reporter toward the end really got on Zion’s nerves. At around the 12:30 mark, the man asks him a two-parter. One of them is basketball related in regard to his new teammate Dejounte Murray. The other one though, was completely unrelated to the Pelicans.

It was a pretty confrontational one, as the reporter inquired, “Why wasn’t Kendrick Lamar on your list for off-season workout playlists”? Previously, Zion Williamson stated that he had been bumping a lot of Nas, Larry June, Curren$y, and Biggie. This obviously pushed some sort of button for the reporter because he feels “like you have two good songs you could’ve been playing in the gym”. Zion wanted to know which songs he was referring to. That’s when the man replied, “‘Euphoria’ and ‘Not Like Us.’ Where was the greatness of the summer in your tracklist”?

Read More: Pras Michel Accuses Lauryn Hill Of Fraud In New Lawsuit

Zion Williamson Was Done With The Press Conference After This

The former Duke Blue Devil let the obvious Lamar stan that he’s got a lot of respect for the MC. “I hear you”, he began. However, he just ultimately didn’t choose to have him playing during his training sessions. “But you know, you’re entitled to your opinion. I’m entitled to mine”. Not too long after saying that though, Zion grew frustrated and wound up ending his press conference perhaps sooner than expected after saying, “But saying that c’mon, it’s Kendrick Lamar. Like, I really gotta sit up here and talk about how good of an artist he is”? Overall, it’s a pretty uncomfortable interaction, so if you get secondhand embarrassment, don’t say we didn’t warn you.

What are your thoughts on Zion Williamson leaving his press conference after a back-and-forth debate about Kendrick Lamar? Who do you think was more valid in this situation and why? 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 the NBA and Kendrick Lamar. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the worlds of music and sports.

Read More: Dame Dash Wonders Why JAY-Z Hasn’t Spoken Up Against Diddy Amid “Freak Off” Rumors

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Did Drake Send Kendrick Lamar A Cease-And-Desist To Prevent Him From Performing ‘Not Like Us’ At The Super Bowl?

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It turns out Wack 100‘s claim was Kendrick Lamar and Drake was, in fact, wack. The music manager alleged in a livestream over the weekend that the Canadian rapper filed a cease-and-desist order in order to prevent Lamar from performing his chart-topping diss track “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl. “He’s trying to get the NFL to restrict Kendrick,” Wack 100 added.

Did Drake Send Kendrick Lamar A Cease-And-Desist To Prevent Him From Performing “Not Like Us” At The Super Bowl?

According to Rolling Stone, that’s not the case. Drake’s rep told the publication that the rumor is “not true,” while another source added that “there was never any intention or plan to send a cease and desist to anyone.”

This isn’t the first time the words “cease” and “desist” have come up in their fund. In “euphoria,” Lamar claimed that Drake tried to take down Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” which features a verse from the halftime show performer. “Try cease and desist on the ‘Like That’ record? / Ho, what? You ain’t like that record? / ‘Back To Back,’ I like that record / I’ma get back to that, for the record,” he rapped. Drake fired back in “Family Matters,” saying, “A cease and desist is for hoes, can’t listen to lies that come out of your mouth / You called the Tupac estate and begged ’em to sue me and get that sh*t down.”

Super Bowl LIX will be played on February 9, 2025.

DJ Akademiks Claims Drake Denied Sending Cease And Desist To Kendrick Lamar

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Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar is a battle that is technically over. The two rappers went at it, and Lamar was crowned the winner. It was an all time battle, and both rappers came to play. The thing is, things have yet to completely blow over. Both camps have alluded to there being more disses around the corner, and Dot may very well close out his Super Bowl Halftime Show by playing his number one diss, “Not Like Us.” It’s been theorized that Drake send a cease and desist to keep the Compton rapper from doing. But Drake’s biggest fan, DJ Akademiks, is calling cap.

The hip hop personality claimed to have exclusive Drake information during his Monday night stream. He told his followers that the 6 God reached out to him personally regarding the rumor. “According to Drake himself, it’s not true,” Akademiks claimed. The DJ could sense that some followers would call him out for taking Drizzy’s side, but he made it very clear that he got this info on good authority. “Drake himself told me… A cease and desist means you have to send it to the person.” He then goes on to note that Drizzy got a cease and desist from Tupac’s estate for the song “Taylor Made Freestyle,” and can prove that he received it.

Read More: Hitmaka Explains Why Drake And Kendrick Lamar’s Feud “F*cked The Game Up”

Drake Allegedly Challenged K. Dot’s Team To Show Proof

What Drake and DJ Akademiks posit is that if the former sent a cease and desist to Kendrick Lamar, then Lamar’s team can prove it by making the cease and desist public. The accusations leveled at Drake don’t make any difference without prove that’s very easy to produce. Or at least, should be if the rumor is true. “He tells me, ‘If I sent a cease and desist, tell them people to put it out’,” Akademiks added. As of right now, there’s no evidence to suggest that the Toronto rapper has tried to block the performance of “Not Like Us” at the Halftime Show. It hasn’t even been confirmed that Lamar will perform the song.

Despite being months away, the Halftime Show has already generated tons of industry rumors. Fivio Foreign hopped on social media and claimed that Kendrick Lamar was actually going to use the Super Bowl to squash the Drake beef. He claimed that the Compton rapper would bring out hometown hero Lil Wayne, who would then bring out Drizzy. Foreign didn’t provide any evidence or sources. Given that both rappers still appear to be at each other’s throats, we think the chances of seeing this happen are slim to none.

Read More: Drake Hits The Studio And Praises Neighbor-Turned-Collaborator

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Playboi Carti Laughs At Adin Ross After Streamer Gets Mocked By Hitta J3

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Playboi Carti is really keeping fans on their toes. The rapper spent years in silence. He rarely posted on social media, and never, ever released music. All that has changed in the last month. Playboi Carti has dropped two (!) singles, including a collab with The Weeknd. He’s regularly promoting his album on IG and Twitter. And he’s even taking time out of his day to make fun of Kick streamer Adin Ross. Ross has been making headlines as of late for beefing with L.A. artists, and Carti decided to get in on the fun.

The Adin Ross vs. L.A. saga started on September 26. The streamer called out a Kendrick Lamar affiliate for claiming he wasn’t welcome on the West Coast due to his friendship with Drake. Ross proceeded to deny these claims, and threatened to sue the alleged affiliate. Ross also posted a video in which he said he would have security physically assault him. The tension boiled over the following day. Hitta J3, an L.A. rapper who claims to be a Kendrick Lamar affiliate, mocked Adin Ross via Instagram Stories. He brought up the incident in which Playboi Carti went on Ross’ stream, then left after six minutes and proceeded to dip with $2 million of the streamer’s money.

Read More: Drake Meets Up With Adin Ross At Toronto Night Club

Playboi Carti Had An Infamous Appearance On A Ross Stream

“No wonder Carti didn’t take your podcast serious,” Hitta J3 wrote. “You n**gas be kids with some fame & let it get to yall head Adin.” It was a pretty devastating diss. Playboi Carti’s involvement only made it hit harder. The rapper decided to repost Hitta’s post on his own IG timeline and included a laughing emoji. It clearly struck him as funny that Ross is still getting made fun for an incident that happened in February. It is pretty obvious that Playboi Carti doesn’t have a lot of respect for Ross as a tastemaker.

The rapper has mostly stayed out of the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle, and while he didn’t tip his hand either way, this dig against Ross is the closest we’ve seen to him picking a side. Playboi Carti wasn’t the only artist who dissed Adin Ross on Friday. Smac TDE went online and claimed that he was annoyed by Ross’ tough talk. He claimed to have been a fan of the streamer in the past, but vowed to mace and attack Adin Ross’ security if he ever saw him in L.A.

Read More: Playboi Carti Responds To Adin Ross’ Reaction To His New Song “ALL RED”

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Rory And MAL Predict That Kendrick Lamar Will Be On J Cole’s “The Fall Off”

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J Cole is getting his groove back. The rapper went down a few notches in most people’s books after he decided to bow out of the “Big Three” battle. It didn’t help that he followed up this weak showing with a head-scratching verse on Cash Cobain’s “Grippy.” But Cole has been regaining the plot in recent weeks. He skated on ASAP Rocky’s “Ruby Rosary.” He killed it on Daylyt’s “A Plate of Collard Greens.” And he’s electric on the new Tee Grizzley song, “Blow for Blow.” J Cole’s new album is on the way, and Rory and MAL think a major collab is destined to happen.

Rory and MAL dropped an episode of their podcast on September 27. They discuss J Cole’s impressive run of features, and theorize who could be a feature on his album, The Fall Off. One name came to mind for both: Kendrick Lamar. “I think Kendrick Lamar will be on The Fall Off,” Rory asserted. “I can’t wait to hear the song, because I love both of them.” The host took it a step further by claiming that Drake is well within his rights to diss Cole on his next release. “Cole can’t sit there and go ‘why you shooting at me?,” he said. “Because you doing music specifically with people I don’t f**k with.”

Read More: Fans Think J Cole Dissed Drake On New Daylyt Collab And Here’s Why

The Duo Theorize That Drake Will Diss J Cole In Return

MAL chimed in, claiming he really wants to see what happens if Lamar is on The Fall Off. “I hope he on that motherf**ker,” he asserted. “His a*s is on the chopping block… Cole, you next!” Rory and MAL have leaned pro-Drake throughout the “Big Three” battle. MAL, in particular, has a seemingly close bond with the 6 God and has relayed alleged messages from him on the podcast. Neither man claims to have info on J Cole’s plans for The Fall Off, but they do seem confident in their prediction. Their producer, Julian Delgado, agreed. “Kendrick’s gonna be on Cole’s next album,” he announced.

J Cole and Kendrick Lamar have had a contentious relationship since the whole “First Person Shooter” fiasco, but the former has really bent the knee for King Kunta. He took his lukewarm “7 Minute Drill” diss off streaming. He apologized in front of his own festival crowd. And he’s been working exclusively with artists who are anti-Drake, to support Rory’s point. Cole has worked with Rocky, Future, Metro Boomin and Daylyt in just a few short months. That’s a long list of 6 God enemies for it to mean nothing. We’ll see what happens.

Read More: Trae The Truth Has Enticing Intel On J Cole’s Eagerly Awaited “The Fall Off”

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Consequence Claims Kanye West And Kendrick Lamar Have An Unreleased Collab Album

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Consequence has been part of Kanye West’s inner-circle since day one. He appeared on Ye’s first two albums, and has penned verses for the rapper into the present. If anybody has insight into how Ye goes about recording, it would be him. Consequence talked about Ye’s relationship with Kendrick Lamar in a recent interview with Bootleg Kev. During said interview, the rapper claimed that Ye and Lamar have an album’s worth of material sitting on the shelf.

Consequence told the podcaster that Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar are sitting on an estimated 40 songs together. Some of which are allegedly produced by Madlib. The reason they have yet to see the light of day? Consequence believes its simply a matter of setting aside the time to structure an album. “I just think it just needed to be structured,” he asserted. The rapper claimed to have heard every song that was recorded, though, and he was impressed. “It was there, it’s there, it’s crazy,” he noted. “It’s there.”

Read More: Kanye West Claims He’s Going Into “Art Studio Mode” In Leaked Texts

Consequence Claims To Have Heard 40 Songs

Consequence’s discussion of a Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar joint album is more of a confirmation than a revelation. It’s exciting to know that songs between the two legends exist, but Ye actually spilled the beans on his Lamar collabs back in 2016. The “Carnival” rapper tweeted that he’d been in the studio with Compton’s finest and Young Thug during the making of The Life of Pablo. “Me and Kendrick got 40 songs and me and Young Thug got 40 songs,” he wrote. “40/40 club!!!” Kendrick Lamar and Thugger did appear on The Life of Pablo, lending credibility to Ye’s claim.

The only official collaboration between Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar to date came out of these 2016 sessions. “No More Parties In L.A.” was a head-spinning lyrical showcase for both rappers. It also had an exceptional Madlib beat, which lines up with what Consequence said about the producer’s involvement. Ye seems to be in an increasingly healthier headspace as of late. Here’s hoping he decides to let some of these K. Dot collabs out of the vault.

Read More: Travis Scott And Ty Dolla Sign Fuel Kanye West Album Rumors On IG

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Steve Lacy Teases Kendrick Lamar Collab On His Upcoming Album

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Steve Lacy is a bona fide star. The singer and songwriter broke out with “Bad Habit” in 2022. That said, he’s been dropping quality songs since his first single in 2015. Lacy is gearing up to release his third studio album, and he discussed the creative process during an interview with Fantastic Man. He shed light on how many songs he’s recorded, and which artists might appear on the album alongside him. Lacy told the outlet that one artist towers over the other when it comes to securing a feature. Who? Kendrick Lamar, of course.

Steve Lacy told the outlet that he’s compelled to find artists with eccentricities. He’s drawn to those who can tease out different elements of his own musicality. “I’m moved by what’s weird,” the singer asserted. “It’s almost like I hear them, and I think, I need to call this person.” It was during this point in the interview that Steve Lacy singled out Kendrick Lamar as an example. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a Kendrick verse,” he teased. The notion of a Lacy and Lamar song is not as left field as it might sound, though. It’s technically happened before. Lacy played guitar on the standout cut “PRIDE.” from Lamar’s 2017 album DAMN.

Read More: Steve Lacy Hilariously Recreates Ty Dolla $ign’s Infamous XXL Freestyle

Steve Lacy Appeared On Lamar’s “DAMN” Album

Steve Lacy was also invited to Lamar’s “Pop Out” show on Juneteenth. He was one of the celebrities who were dancing on stage during Lamar’s “Not Like Us” performance. There’s a rapport between him and Lamar that would make a proper feature a no-brainer. Despite their past, however, Lacy admitted that he felt out of place at the aforementioned “Pop Out.” “I don’t feel tough,” he admitted. “We were at the run-through, and I was, like, ‘How am I here?’ But I was so honored.. I thought I would never be in the conversation. It was cool.”

Steve Lacy has been pretty selective with his features in the past. He only had two features on his first two albums, respectively. None of them were rappers. He’s perfectly content working with the likes of J. Cole or Tyler, The Creator, but a feature on his album would seemingly need to fit a larger vision. A very large vision. Lacy told Fantastic Man that he’s already compiled 300 song “sketches” in preparation for the new album. We hope that Kendrick Lamar ends up on one of them.

Read More: Kanye West And Steve Lacy Hug It Out After Ireland Concert

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