Sometimes, not everyone can make their first, second, or even third album their most complete. To be honest, it is quite rare for anyone to do it, even the certified legends. That seems to be the case for Ukranian American spitter Your Old Droog, in his opinion anyway. The Brooklynite has been one of the more prolific voices in the East Coast underground and he prefers it that way. “I don’t really have interest in fame or the idea of celebrity, according to a feature from Variety. All of that hard work has seemingly culminated into Your Old Droog’s newest album, Movie.
“On the outside and on the inside, I feel like I mastered certain things, like certain recording techniques, writing techniques. I feel like I mastered ad libs in late 2022… in terms of how I record them, my process of selecting them and editing”, Droog mentioned. “I had a conversation before I worked on this album with El-P, where he was like, ‘Be okay with people missing you for a while. Just put everything into your 12 best songs.’ So, I internalized that before I was making the record, and just said, let me not do so much — let me do exactly what’s needed. I feel like I did”. We certainly feel that way, as Droog talks about all sorts of life experiences. This tape truly describes his life, aka his Movie.
Summer is around the corner – weird how time is flying, right? But it is upon us so time to get ready for a season packed with blockbusters from action-adventure to romance, horror, and beloved franchise releases, across theatrical releases and streaming platforms from May through Labor Day.
May kicks off with Universal’s action-packed romantic comedy “The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt (May 3), followed by the latest installment in the Apes series, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (May 10), with the month closing out with the highly anticipated Mad Max prequel, “Furiosa.”
June promises more excitement with Netflix’s “Hit Man” and the theatrical release of “Bad Boys 4.” July may not offer another “Barbenheimer” showdown, but the much-anticipated “Deadpool & Wolverine” has something to say!
As August rolls around, audiences can enjoy a new Alien movie (“Alien: Romulus”), and “The Crow” highly anticipated remake.
Here’s a breakdown of 18 upcoming summer films you don’t want to miss:
“The Fall Guy” – May 3 – Universal Pictures
After leaving the business one year earlier, battle-scarred stuntman Colt Seavers springs back into action when the star of a big studio movie suddenly disappears. As the mystery surrounding the missing actor deepens, Colt soon finds himself ensnared in a sinister plot that pushes him to the edge of a fall more dangerous than any stunt.
“Tarot” – May 3 – Sony Pictures Releasing
Friends unwittingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within a cursed deck of tarot cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate, racing against death to escape the future foretold in their readings.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” – May 8 – 20th Century Studios
Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he’s been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
“The Strangers: Chapter 1” – May 17 – Lionsgate
After their car breaks down in an eerie small town, a young couple is forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive.
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” – May 17 – Lionsgate
Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, young Furiosa falls into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel, presided over by the Immortan Joe. As the two tyrants fight for dominance, Furiosa soon finds herself in a nonstop battle to make her way home.
“Hitman” – June 7 – Netflix
Professional killer Gary Johnson breaks protocol to help a desperate woman trying to flee an abusive husband and finds himself falling for her.
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” – June 7 – Sony Pictures Releasing
When their late police captain gets linked to drug cartels, wisecracking Miami cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett embark on a dangerous mission to clear his name.
“Inside Out 2” – June 14 – Disney
Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust have been running a successful operation by all accounts. However, when Anxiety shows up, they aren’t sure how to feel.
“A Quiet Place: Day One” – June 14 – Paramount
A Quiet Place: Day One is an upcoming American apocalyptic horror film that is a spin-off prequel and the third installment in the A Quiet Place film series. It is directed and written by Michael Sarnoski, based on a story by John Krasinski and Sarnoski.
“Despicable Me 4” – July 3 – Universal Pictures
Gru welcomes a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who’s intent on tormenting his dad. However, their peaceful existence soon comes crashing down when criminal mastermind Maxime Le Mal escapes from prison and vows revenge against Gru.
“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley” – July 3 – Netflix
After his daughter’s life is threatened, wisecracking Detective Axel Foley teams up with a new partner and some old pals to turn up the heat on a conspiracy.
Tyler Perry’s “Divorce in the Black” – July 11 – Prime Video
Follows Ava, a young banking professional who is heartbroken when her husband Dallas abandons a marriage she is determined to fight for.
“Sing Sing” – July 12 – A24
Imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, Divine G finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including a wary newcomer.
“Twisters” – July 19 – Universal Pictures
Haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado, Kate Cooper gets lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi, to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. She soon crosses paths with Tyler Owens, a charming but reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures. As storm season intensifies, Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves in a fight for their lives as multiple systems converge over central Oklahoma.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” – July 26 – Disney
Wolverine is recovering from his injuries when he crosses paths with the loudmouth, Deadpool. They team up to defeat a common enemy. Oh, and this will be Rated-R.
“Borderlands” – August 9 – Lionsgate
Returning to her home planet, an infamous outlaw forms an unexpected alliance with a team of unlikely heroes. Together, they battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find a missing girl who holds the key to unimaginable power.
“Alien: Romulus” – August 16 – 20th Century Studios
In the newest installment in the Alien franchise, young people on a distant world find themselves confronting the most terrifying life-form in the universe.
“The Crow” – August 23 – Lionsgate
Soulmates Eric Draven and Shelly Webster are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Draven returns to seek bloody revenge against the killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.
Cam’ron recently dropped a teaser for his upcoming “Only Money” music video alongside Ma$e. The hilarious trailer has now left several fans wanting more of the duo’s onscreen chemistry. Some social media users are even calling for the pair to star in a buddy film together. “We need a movie asap,” one fan writes. Another says, “Y’all linking up is the best thing that happened to America.”
In the clip, Cam’ron and Ma$e are shown having a conversation inside of an armored vehicle. Cam’ron shakes his head at Ma$e, who’s driving. “I think you taking this ‘get our own money sh*t a little bit too far,” he tells him, “Like, we gonna pick up our own money? We got people who can do this at this point.” Ma$e responds, telling him, “I gotta count this. You going out doing whatever you doing. Somebody gotta take this serious. I’m taking this serious. Last time I let you take the money, you see where that got us, right?“
The funny conversation is a callback to a previous feud between the duo, which reportedly involved money. Apparently, Cam’ron felt as though he didn’t get a fair deal when he signed to RichFish Records. The longtime beef was finally squashed in 2022, and Ma$e later claimed to have regretted it. “That’s one of the relationships I regret. I think I got two that I regret, and going at Killa, I wanted to do that but that was like my n***a, you know what I’m saying? So that really hurt me,” he told the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast.
“My problem with I think Cam was just that they thought I had money I didn’t have,” he continued, “Like I just told you I was flexing crazy, so n****s was like, ‘Yo, Murda ain’t sharing the bag.’ I never got the bag. Now that we looking back you can see he never got that bag, and then by the time I got the bag we was enemies already.” Fans are glad to see that the two of them are now able to turn their former beef into something positive.
Nicki Minaj showed up and slayed the Barbie movie premiere to absolutely no one’s surprise; how could she not? You don’t just make a hit song for a film with Ice Spice, arguably the biggest rising star right now, and not stun at the big event. What’s more is that she also snapped some pictures with lead actress Margot Robbie, and it looks like they had a great time together. Moreover, the rap queen also shared a short review of the highly anticipated flick on Twitter, adding that Robbie is beautiful in person. With the official Barb seal of approval, maybe this will convince even more rap fans to check it out- if “Barbie World” didn’t do that already.
“She’s strikingly gorgeous in person,” Nicki Minaj wrote of Margot Robbie while quote-tweeting a vid of them together at the premiere before sharing her thoughts on Barbie. “Btw, the entire cast of this movie nailed it. The film is so visually stimulating. The actors can actually act, & the comedic timing is actually on time. Bravo. I’ll see it again & give my final analysis around the 21st. Will Ferrell, I [heart emoji] U.” A full-fledged movie review from one of the best rappers in the game? Fans are eating good.
Nicki Minaj’s Initial Review Of Barbie (And Margot Robbie)
She’s strikingly gorgeous in person. Btw, the entire cast of this movie nailed it. The film is so visually stimulating. The actors can actually act, & the comedic timing is actually on time. Bravo. I’ll see it again & give my final analysis around the 21st. Will Ferrell, IU https://t.co/SY9E4sXg6W
In fact, Nicki Minaj shared that this is actually quite a big moment for her considering her career path and identity. “I’m so excited to be here for this entire moment, I’m glad that they thought of me,” the 40-year-old told Entertainment Tonight. “I’m excited just how everybody else is excited to see this movie. I know I’ve been saying Barbie my whole career and so this a very full circle moment for me.
Meanwhile, people from every corner of every demographic are pretty excited to see the new Barbie movie. If you didn’t already know, it’s set to premiere on July 21, the same date as Christopher Nolan’s next film Oppenheimer. We’ll see how “Barbenheimer” turns out, because even if the online jokes about it take center stage, it’s going to hopefully be a great day for film buffs and casual enjoyers alike. Regardless, stick around on HNHH for the latest news and updates on Nicki Minaj.
Last year, Jennifer Lopez made a return to the film world after taking a few years off. Following a memorable performance in Hustlers, J-Lo hadn’t touched the medium until her rom-com Marry Me dropped in February. She followed it up with Shotgun Wedding a fusion action/comedy that made its way to Prime Video late last year. This year, she took a turn towards straight-up action in her new role in The Mother. She stars in the Niki Caro-directed thriller which launched on Netflix last month. In the film, Lopez plays a former military operative searching for her long-lost daughter.
While the film received largely mixed reviews from critics, it’s been quite popular. So popular in fact, that it’s been the number one film on the Netflix platform every week since its release. In celebration of this Jennifer Lopez took to Instagram to thank her fans for watching and supporting the movie. The caption accompanying her video reads “Thank you!!! to everyone who has been watching #TheMother and helped make it a top 10 movie of all time on @Netflix and hitting #1 worldwide 4 weeks in a row! Thank you so much for watching.”
The Mother won’t be Jennifer Lopez’s only film role this year either. She’s expanding her genre ambitions even further with Atlas, a sci-fi movie she’s producing and starring in. Atlas is scheduled to drop later this year also on Netflix. The Mother broke the record for the most viewed film in 2023 so far when it dropped last month. During its opening weekend alone it generated over 80 million watch hours.
Much of the recent discussion surrounding Jennifer Lopez has involved her rekindled relationship with Ben Affleck. The couple appeared to get into some kind of argument on the red carpet for the premiere of The Mother last month. It hasn’t been all bad news, however. Earlier this year the couple purchased a $34 million home together and celebrated with matching tattoos. Tell us your thoughts on Jennifer Lopez’s new film The Mother and her upcoming movie Atlas in the comment section below.
PinkPantheress, the It Girl of bedroom pop is back with a new song called “Angel.” The singer’s third new song of the year is also the third song released from the soundtrack to Greta Gerwhig’s upcoming Barbie movie. The track features production from frequent Lady Gaga collaborator BloodPop a follows many of the sonic motifs PinkPantheress has been flirting with for years. The combination of acoustic guitar and strings with a stable consistent beat gives it a vintage 2000s pop feel.
PinkPantheress is the third artist to officially drop her contribution to the Barbie movie following Dua Lipa and Karol G. The full soundtrack will drop alongside the film next month. The list of stars lining the soundtrack is a who’s who of recent stars from a number of genres. Recent breakout stars like Fifty Fifty and GAYLE line up alongside superstars like Khalid and Lizzo. For many, the most anticipated new song comes from Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. The pair are linking up for the second time this year and sampling AQUA’s classic song “Barbie Girl.”
PinkPantheress Gets Angelic
Both of PinkPantheress’ previous singles have made big splashes in their own ways. Her collaboration with Ice Spice “Boys a liar Pt. 2” has been one of the biggest hit songs of 2023 so far. It was both artists’ first taste of the top 10 of the Hot 100, though Ice Spice was back a few months later with her “Princess Diana” remix. Her other new release “Way Back” sees her teaming up with EDM legend Skrillex and rapper Trippie Redd.
Those songs followed her Take Me Home EP which dropped late last year. The tracklist was short but contained a viral hit in the original “Boys a Liar.” She dropped her debut mixtape To Hell with It in 2021. It introduced many to her style of very short songwriting and lo-fi poppy production. “Angel” is her first new song this year that isn’t a collaborative effort. What do you think of the new PinkPantheress song and the entire Barbie soundtrack so far? Let us know in the comment section below.
Quotable Lyrics:
Johnny, my baby, tell me all the details for tomorrow Johnny, my baby’s hands, they grip my fingers when they’re cold He could be the one to make me never freeze again because No one is as romantic as him, I want you to know
The trailer for the upcoming fourth film in the “Expendables” series, titled EXPEND4BLES has been released. While much of the attention paid to new cast members was pointed in the direction of Megan Fox, there was also another surprise special guest. Rapper 50 Cent, whose no stranger to movie roles has officially been confirmed for the film. 50 posted a teaser related to this film to his Instagram earlier this week with a caption that had fans salivating. “You’re not gonna wanna miss this,” says the post which debuted the poster for the upcoming film.
It’s been nine years since the previous expendables film came out, the franchise’s third entry. After the film, Sylvester Stallone left the franchise due to unspecified creative differences. Thankfully, Stallone is back for the fourth film. The movie is slated to drop later this year on September 22nd. The plot seems to revolve around the various action heroes taking on terrorists with plans to deploy nuclear weapons. Further details are likely to be revealed in future trailers.
50 Cent Becomes An Expendable
Reports that Megan Fox and 50 Cent were slated to join the cast go WAY back. Though the film has taken a pretty long journey to get here it looks like the spectacle it’s delivering will be worth it. Joining Stallone, 50, and Megan Fox in the film is an all-star cast of heroes. Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Andy Garcia, Tony Jaa, and more are also set to appear in the new movie. Also joining the franchise is Need For Speed director Scott Waugh who directed EXPEND4BLES.
Despite being pretty quiet on the music front, 50 finds a way to stay in the headlines. He hasn’t released anything new in 2023 musically and last year he dropped just one new single with Lil Durk and Jeremih. Still, there’s been a constant stream of 50 Cent stories in the news recently. Just a few days ago he garnered attention for leaving a $1000 tip at a New York steakhouse following a dinner with DaBaby. Tells us what you think of the new trailer in the comment section below. Stay tuned to HNHH for more news from the music world.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse has taken over everything since it came out. The film has received rave reviews and continues to pull in huge box office numbers. On top of that it has a number of promotional tie-ins including a soundtrack executive produced by Metro Boomin. In a recent interview with Variety Metro talked about the shadow of the first film’s soundtrack. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse preceded this film and had a soundtrack that featured “Sunflower.” The collaboration between Post Malone and Swae Lee went on to be a massive hit song. In developing a soundtrack for the sequel Metro Boomin made it clear he wasn’t trying to outdo the success of that song.
“‘Sunflower’ was a great record — was it 17 times platinum or something like that, something insane? And things like that don’t happen often, so I didn’t even want to go into it with the mind of how am I going to top “Sunflower”?” Metro explained. In fact, the song is now 18 times platinum which is just one in a long list of commercial accomplishments it made. The track spent 33 weeks in the top 10 of the Hot 100. It also ended up as the 4th best-selling song of 2019. “So more than trying to make a song that’s 20 times platinum, I just wanted to focus on making a great album and a listening experience from top to bottom that you’re just going to want to keep playing,” he added.
Metro Boomin’s Spider-Verse
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JUNE 1: Metro Boomin attends “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse” Screening Hosted by Halo & 2 Chainz at Regal Atlantic Station on June 1, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage)
Later on in the interview, he clarified his ambitions for the soundtrack. “So there might not be a “Sunflower” or a song that’s like 15 or even 10 times platinum or anything like that, but there might be a bunch of songs that people really love and make and integrate as a part of their everyday lives.”
The soundtrack features an impressive roster of collaborators from the hip-hop world and beyond. Future, Lil Uzi Vert, A$AP Rocky, Lil Wayne, and 21 Savage make up just some of the many artists lending their voices and work to the various songs. Let us know what you think about the Across The Spider-Verse soundtrack in the comments below.
The first film in the Fast & Furious franchise, The Fast And The Furious, came out in 2001. Back then, it was a simple film about a street racing crew helmed by Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel). But the film made nearly five-and-a-half times more than it’s $38 million budget. This would be the first film in a franchise that has become a pop culture behemoth.
The most recent film, Fast X, is on course to pass $1 billion at the box office and served as an Avengers-esque beginning of the end to the franchise. Furthermore, Ludacris’ first appearance in 2 Fast 2 Furious but became a franchise staple from Fast Five onwards. Tej Parker has become a beloved fan-favorite character. Now the rapper has explained why the franchise is so enduring.
Speaking on the All The Smoke podcast, Ludacris explained the very simple reason behind the long-running franchise. “Arguably these have gotten better and better,” the rapper and actor declared. “To the point where it’s like people just trying to understand how the hell we keep doing this shit. I also hear people say all the time ‘Why do y’all keep doing these movies?’ That’s the dumbest fucking question in the world. I’m gonna tell you why, because no matter what industry we’re in; podcast, music, movies, it’s all about a bottom line. It’s all about how much you spend compared to how much you make. We’re making billions of fucking dollars.”
He continued. “Because if you spend 200 million and you make a billion who the fuck is you gonna tell to stop shooting movies when you’re making 800 muthafuckin million dollars every time,” Ludacris added. “I need people to stop asking that question. Even if you don’t like it, even if you don’t want to watch it, it’s okay. Stop asking that goddamn question that is the answer.” How do you feel about the Fast And Furious franchise? Let us know in the comments. Get all the latest entertainment news here at HotNewHipHop.
Barbie is set to be the cinematic event of the summer. Directed by Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women), the film is set to take us to the Barbie world. While the film is set to feature a myriad of different Barbies, the main Barbie (i.e. the original pink-clad, blonde Barbie) is brought to life by Margot Robbie. She will go on the adventure of a lifetime alongside her boyfriend Ken (Ryan Gosling). The film’s cast is full of A-list talent and released trailers have already gotten the world hyped for the film’s release. Additionally, a new trailer will be released later on May 25.
Now, a pastel pink Barbie movie in 2023 would not be complete without a killer soundtrack. In fact, a film like this could live or die on its music. While some elements, like a Dua Lipa single, have been known for a while, we have now gotten our first look at an extended selection of the artists who will be contributing to the Barbie soundtrack.
“Barbie” Set To Have a Certified Banger Soundtrack
Rolling Stone got an exclusive look at the Barbie soundtrack and accompanying album, which is available on July 21. The album is loaded with talent, with more artists set to be announced over the coming months. However, we have already been treated to 18 artists. According to promotional images, the soundtrack will feature Ava Max, Charli XCX, Dominic Fike, Dua Lipa, FIFTY FIFTY, Gayle, HAIM, Ice Spice, Kali, Karol G, Khalid, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, PinkPantheress, Ryan Gosling, Tame Impala, and The Kid LAROI. Dua Lipa’s single for the film, “Dance The Night”, will be released on May 25.
Furthermore, the lineup is absolute fire…with one exception. As many fans are asking, where is Aqua? The Danish pop group is essentially known for two songs, one of them being the iconic 90s hit, “Barbie Girl”. Hopefully, they will be announced soon or serve as a fantastic Easter Egg come the film’s release. However, “Barbie Girl” was sampled in Ava Max’s 2017 hit “Not Your Barbie Girl”. Regardless, what do you think about the artists announced so far? Are you excited for Barbie? Let us know in the comments.
U 