key to the city Archives - New Hip Hop News

Birdman & Slim Receive Keys To New Orleans

February 7, 2024 by newhiphopnews

It’s no surprise that Birdman has received several accolades, and recently, his work in the music industry earned him one more. Earlier this week, the artist was given a key to his home city of New Orleans. His brother Slim, whom he co-founded Cash Money Records with, also accepted the award alongside the city’s mayor LaToya Cantrell.

In a new clip, Birdman and Slim are seen holding their awarded keys while Cantrell looks on in approval. “Nothing never came easy for us coming from Uptown,” Birdman began his brief speech. “I’m gonna continue. I’m not done with it. That’s why I never really cared about doing this, but I always felt like if you be honored that mean you finished what you been doing. I’m not finished yet.”

Birdman Says He’s “Not Finished Yet”

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Birdman and Slim were met with applause from onlookers, as well as a few kind words from Mayor Cantrell. “Congratulations to Birdman & Slim!” a Tweet from earlier this week reads. “Yesterday I presented Keys to the City of New Orleans to Bryan ‘Birdman’ Williams & Ronald ‘Slim’ Williams. Thanks for your contributions to music & commitment to the community. Johnny and Gladys Williams would be PROUD.” While Birdman certainly has no problems generating his own success, he’s also able to see the potential in others, as evidenced by his relationship with Drake.

During an interview with JalenTV, he recalled meeting Drizzy for the first time, admitting that he knew he was destined to be a star. “First time I met him I told him he gonna be a legend,” he described last month. “He was like ‘For real?’ I’m like ‘Yeah, Drake. You gonna be a f*cking legend in this game.’ Cuz the Hip Hop ain’t heard nothing like that.” What do you think of Birdman and Slim getting honored with Keys to New Orleans? What about the message Birdman shared after receiving the key? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.

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Miami Loves Rick Ross: Rapper Takes Home Key To The City, Library Of Congress Will Induct His Music

January 16, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Rick Ross has lived countless lives throughout his 47 years on Earth so far, from working as a correctional officer to now being the proud owner of The Promise Land, his sprawling Georgia estate. When Rozay isn’t checking on his animals or flaunting his massive collection of cars, he also enjoys spending time in Miami. Always one to give back to the community, Ross has done a lot for the Floridian hotspot throughout his come-up, and they make sure he feels the love in return.

Earlier this week, the Richer Than I Ever Been artist was attending the MLK Scholarship breakfast event, where organizers took a moment to honour him. Besides congratulating Ross for all his career achievements, Miami officials also gave him a prestigious key to the city, which the multi-talent gratefully accepted. “A boss is one who gets the keys to @miamidadecounty by supporting his community,” one attendee wrote on Instagram while filming the heartwarming moment.

Rick Ross & His Community Continue to Uplift Each Other

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Amid all that excitement, sources said that Rozay’s music catalogue will have a special place in the Library of Congress. An induction ceremony is taking place for the MMG mogul to commemorate the major moment, and knowing him, he’s sure to go all out with his celebratory antics. Christina Mackey was on her man’s arm at the morning ceremony, but we’re curious to see what’s in the cards for her future now that she’s speaking out on social media.

Rick Ross is likely happy to receive such a massive honour from the city of Miami. Still, that doesn’t help the situation currently unfolding between his current girlfriend and his rumoured baby mama, Cierra Nichole. Read all the latest updates on that mess at the link below, and check back later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.

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Metro Boomin Gets Key To The City Of St. Louis

December 15, 2023 by newhiphopnews

In the past few months, there have been some major artists in rap and R&B to receive recognition from their hometowns. Gucci Mane got his own day declared after him in Fulton Country that coincided with the release of his new album. Around the same time, Usher also got his own day named after him in Las Vegas while also receiving the key to the city. He’s going to make a pretty major splash in Vegas in just a few months when he headlines the Super Bowl halftime show at the city’s brand-new stadium.

Now Metro Boomin has become the most recent artist to receive a similar honor. According to TMZ, he was given the key to his hometown of St. Louis earlier this week. He was on stage with his four siblings and St. Louis mayor Tishaura O. Jones earlier this week when he was presented with the key. Metro took the opportunity to tribute his late mother as a major part of the reason for the recognition was his long-running “Single Moms Are The Real Superheroes” campaign. December 14th is now officially known as Metro Boomin day in St Louis. Check out some photos from the event below.

Metro Boomin Day

Earlier this month, Metro Boomin shared his artist wrapped from Spotify and he had some extremely impressive numbers. His late 2022 album Heroes & Villains was among the most-streamed rap albums of 2023. But it was far from the only project he was involved in. He also released a feature-packed soundtrack for the animated superhero film Spiderman: Across The Spiderverse. Both projects resulted in major hits with high-profile collaborations.

Metro Boomin has also been teasing his next big release for much of the year. He’s repeatedly tweeted updates about a potential collab with Future. He’s described it as the “ultimate album” and tweeted about taking the album cover photo months ago. However, substantial updates on the project have slowed down in the past few months. What do you think of Metro Boomin being honored with his own day and the key to the city of St. Louis? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Usher Presented With Key To The City Of Las Vegas

October 18, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Usher is making the absolute most of his Las Vegas residency. Earlier this year it became the inciting point for one of the biggest dramas of the summer. The R&B star sang to Keke Palmer who had showed up in a bit of a revealing dress. Her boyfriend Darius Jackson took issue with what she wore and posted about it publicly. The massive discussion that followed enveloped dozens of other celebs who shared their opinions.

Now, Usher is once again under a spotlight in Las Vegas. This time though there’s much less drama. With his residency still ongoing until December, he was presented with the key to the city yesterday. “I just want to continue to be an amazing contribution to your amazing city. I do see opportunity here, and the belief that everything that’s in my mind and that I’ve dreamed of is coming to life as a result of the city. So thank you,” the singer said in a statement. He’s also contributed to the city by hosting multiple renditions of his Lovers & Friends music festival. Check out the city’s full announcement post below.

Usher Given Key To The City And Holiday In Las Vegas

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On top of a key to the city, the singer also got a holiday names after him. October 17 was proclaimed Usher Raymond day in Las Vegas. The same day on the other side of the country another city also named October 17 after a musician. That came when Atlanta officially declared it Gucci Mane day. The two declarations don’t seem to necessarily have much to do with each other, but the pair have collaborated on music twice before.

Usher also has another pretty big performance coming up. The singer will be taking the stage as the star of next year’s Super Bowl halftime show following Rihanna’s performance last year. What do you think of Las Vegas awarding Usher the key to the city? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Diddy Honored With Key To NYC

September 15, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Today, Diddy was awarded the key to New York City, which was given to him by the mayor himself. The ceremony took place in Times Square, and Mayor Eric Adams shared a few words about the occasion. “The bad boy of entertainment is getting the Key to the City from the bad boy of politics,” he declared. Upon receiving the key, Diddy thanked a crowd of supporters cheering him on. “I want to thank you all for this honor and just recognizing me being from New York, giving me the Key to the City,” he said.

Diddy was honored just in time for the release of his new album. He dropped off The Love Album: Off the Grid this morning, and fans have been loving it so far. The artist’s sixth studio album is jam-packed with high-profile features, including appearances from the likes of Mary J. Blige, Summer Walker, Busta Rhymes, and many more. Listeners are enjoying the album so much, in fact, that some have already started to call it the Album of the Year.

Diddy Gives Inspirational Speech

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Diddy took to social media to show off the Key to the City, flexing it while hanging out of the car window. “New York we f*cking did it!” he yells in the clip, also shouting out various parts of the city. “Let’s go, the Key to the City.” As he gave his inspirational speech, countless fans hyped him up from the street.

Recently, Diddy was also joined by countless peers, who hyped him up at his album release party. The star-studded bash took place in NYC, and included guests like Keyshia Cole, Jadakiss, French Montana, Yung Miami, and more. Diddy rented out the entire venue for the night, and he and his guests reportedly sipped on DeLeon until around 4 a.m., even taking part in some Biggie karaoke. What do you think about Diddy getting the Key to NYC? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates on Diddy.

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GloRilla Reacts To Drake Getting The Key To Memphis County In Fan Response

June 29, 2023 by newhiphopnews

When Drake got the key to Shelby County (i.e. Memphis, Tennessee), a lot of people reacted quite indignantly online. Of course, the main argument that people had for the ridiculousness of this was that the rap and pop superstar isn’t even from the city. Moreover, they lamented the fact that a Toronto native got such an honor seemingly before many of the city’s burgeoning, established, or legendary musical artists. Young Dolph, Moneybagg Yo, and GloRilla were some of the names that people mentioned in their clapback. However, as the “Lick Or Sum” pointed out, it seems like a lot of people need to check up on their Memphis history before talking down on the 6 God.

“I got this key almost a year ago,” GloRilla tweeted along with some heart emojis, showing that the city did honor some of its own, after all. In addition, it’s important to note Drake’s own historic ties to the city. He spent summers there and his father is actually from the state’s second-most populated city. “We love our own” Shelby County Chairman Mickell Lowery told him during the ceremony. “Memphis music touches the world. You got a lot of Memphis blood in you and you’re definitely touching the world.”

GloRilla Addresses Drake’s Key To The City Of Memphis

Hopefully this isn’t the only time that Drizzy and Glo reference each other in some capacity. Not only that, but there’s hope that the two will officially collaborate one day, which would surely be a smash hit. “Most definitely. We’re gonna try to make it work,” GloRilla said of potentially working with him one day at the 2023 BET Awards. Given that both claim superstar titles and careers these days, it’s a very exciting prospect and would be another huge career move for the Memphis native.

Meanwhile, the 23-year-old recently told Rolling Stone why she thinks a lot of men like her music, too. “I know a lot of dudes, they won’t ride around listening to no girl that sound like a girl, because they going to be like, ‘Oh, I’m being p***y.’ But they hear me and now [they say], ‘She slick, sound like one of us.’” Surely a Drake feature would only get more people to look past their preconceived notions and pay attention to the quality of the music. Regardless, stick around on HNHH for the latest news on Drake and GloRilla.

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Drake Receives Key To The City Of Memphis

June 26, 2023 by newhiphopnews

“Wait, isn’t he from Canada,” fans exclaimed when they saw that Drake received the key to the city of Memphis. Specifically, he got the key to Shelby County, where Memphis is located in Tennessee, from Chairman Mickell Lowry. Of course, other people had more fond reactions to this news, expressing their happiness at the clip of the meeting which recently surfaced online. Regardless, those were flooded by others saying that the Toronto rapper doesn’t even deserve the honor despite how some of his extensive catalog represents the city’s impactful musical history. Even Lil Yachty chimed in with a comment on DJ Akademiks’ post on the matter, laughing at Drizzy’s shirt that reads “The Famous Cousin.”

On that note of music, maybe Drake will continue to honor Memphis on his next album, For All The Dogs. For those unaware (as hard as that is), he announced the new project as part of his new poetry book with Kenza Samir, Titles Ruin Everything. Furthermore, he teased this for a while up until the book’s release, but the album announcement came out of nowhere. Still, considering that he dropped two projects last year and drops project pretty much every year, it was only a matter of time before he revealed his next move.

Drake Gets Love From Memphis

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In addition, there are a couple of new Drake tracks to enjoy on Young Thug’s latest album, BUSINESS IS BUSINESS. Namely, these are the cuts “Parade on Cleveland” and “Oh U Went.” As such, there’s plenty to celebrate these days when it comes to the 6 God’s career, and this key to Memphis, however questionable, just keeps speaking to that influence. There was also his new single “Search & Rescue,” which ruffled some feathers but was nonetheless a hot topic of conversation and an addition to fans’ rotation.

Meanwhile, the 36-year-old is also just as prone to look back on his storied success. Recently, he reposted the message he delivered Honestly, Nevermind with a year ago, honoring the late and great Virgil Abloh and speaking on critics and loyalty. Whether For All The Dogs goes into similar sonic and thematic territory is an exciting question for the weeks ahead. For more news and the latest updates on Drake, come back to HNHH.

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Kevin Gates Reveals Why He Loves Hunting

April 10, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Kevin Gates doesn’t like to buy his meat at the grocery store. He prefers to hunt for it himself. In a new interview with AllHipHop.com, Gates opened up about his love of hunting deer. However, he makes it clear that he doesn’t just do it for sport. For him, it is also about mental health. According to the rapper, hunting can be likened to a spiritual experience. “It takes pure focus. It’s almost like meditation,” he says in the interview. “You got to be in sync with it.” In addition to his own meditative reasoning, Gates uses his hunting skills to provide for his family.

Once Gates makes a kill, he makes sure to show thanks to God for providing food. Then, he takes great care to dress the animal to ensure the meat remains untainted. The rapper says this gives him a greater understanding of and connection to the meat that he consumes. The rapper recently opened up about how taking a life is sacred, so it makes sense that he would go to great lengths to respect the animals he hunts and show his thankfulness. As rewarding as the experience may be, Gates acknowledges that it will never yield immediate results. “I know I’m not going to get instant results,” he says. “I know I got to put work in… to cultivate it and develop it.”

Gates Receives Key To His Hometown

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His newfound love of hunting is not the only development in Kevin Gates’ life recently. He has also received the key to his hometown, Baton Rouge. The rapper was surprised on stage with the honor. Afterward, he took to social media to post his gratitude for the recognition. “Feeling grateful and honored to have received the key to the city of Baton Rouge!” Gates said on his Instagram after the event. “It’s a privilege and I look forward to continuing to contribute to its growth and prosperity.”

The Shade Room posted a video of the event, and commenters seemed displeased. Some wondered why Gates received the key when others deserved it. “Love Gates but as a Baton Rougian… Boosie does way more for his city…” one user said. Another chimed in to agree, commenting, “That belongs to Boosie.” While many of the commenters expressed distaste, other users were downright lost. “What these keys be unlocking?” one user said. “I always wanted to know.” What do you think of Kevin Gates’ new hunting hobby? Also, do you think he deserved the key to the city? Sound off in the comments to let us know!

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Latto Gets The Key To Her Hometown Of Clayton County

December 20, 2022 by newhiphopnews

2022 proved to be quite the breakthrough year for Latto, as she continued to drop plenty of music and appear on the charts.

To cap off the successful year, she’s now receiving the key to her city.

Latto attends Latto “Christmas In Clayco” at Carl Rhodenizer Recreation Center. (Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

Former Georgia State Representative, Stacey Abrams presented Latto with the key to Clayton County, Georgia on Sunday (December 18).

The announcement took place following her second annual holiday drive; the “Christmas in Clayco” event. Run by her non-profit organization, Win Some Give Some, the operation evidently shows the 23-year-old’s dedication to providing for her community.

The rapper’s donations this year featured a Christmas dinner, gifts and necessities for over 500 local families, including TVs, bikes, toy cars and turkeys.

“Our kids love her, the commissioners love her, and this is a collaboration that has been great for the community and for the children in Clayton County Public Schools. I want them to see the spirit of giving. When you give, it reciprocates back to you. What we tell our kids in Clayton County is that you can go and be anything you want to be, and Latto is a great example of that,” Clayton County commissioner Alieka Anderson said while attending the event.

Furthermore, the December 18th date is now officially recognized as “Latto Day” within the city.

In other news surrounding the “It’s Givin” rapper, she recently celebrated her upcoming 24th birthday in a unique way. Although she doesn’t officially turn 24 until Thursday (December 22), the Columbus native celebrated yesterday (December 19) by way of a party she called “Area 24.”

While dressing up as a fully-costumed pink alien, it appears as though the festivities were certainly a good time.

Back in March, the Grammy-nominated rapper dropped off her second studio album, 777. The 23-year-old is in her bag throughout the project’s 13 tracks. Featuring the biggest hit of her career in “Big Energy,” it’s one of the most successful albums of the year.

What’s your favorite Latto song? Comment down below. Finally, make sure to stay tuned to HNHH for the latest industry updates.

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