Music

Soulja Boy And Lil Yachty Are Being Sued For An Alleged Cryptocurrency Scam

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Cryptocurrency is still one of the hottest commodities on the modern digital market, despite no one really knowing what it is or how it works. It’s also highly susceptible to theft and scams — as a slew of celebrities including Lil Yachty and Soulja Boy are finding out via a class-action lawsuit against them, according to Complex and ClassAction.org. The two Atlanta rappers, along with YouTubers Jake Paul and Ben Phillips, as well as former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, are all named as promoters of SafeMoon, a cryptocurrency founded by Braden John Karony, in exchange for tokens.

According to the suit, the SafeMoon currency ultimately amounted to a pump and dump scheme, which is when scammers hype up an effectively worthless commodity to artificially raise its price, then pull out of the commodity before it crashes. The movie Boiler Room explains it pretty well. This is more or less what happened with SafeMoon, which was created in March 2021 and had completely crashed by December, hitting a low of $0.0000006521 per token on New Year’s Eve. “As of the filing of this Complaint,” the lawsuit reads, “the trading volume for the SafeMoon Token has plummeted to around only $60,000.” The height of volume, $191.6 million on April 22. The key to SafeMoon’s “slow rug pull” was “token burns,” removing a certain number of tokens from circulation.

As tokens were “burnt,” more investors bought in, inflating the price of the remaining tokens. As the value began to drop, another “burn” was employed to bump the value again. Eventually, as trading volume fell, chief technology officer Hank Wyatt resigned, selling off his tokens to investors ahead of the failed launch of SafeMoon’s digital wallet. According to the suit, Wyatt would have or should have known that the wallet would not be ready. A day later SafeMoon COO Jack Haines-Davies also resigned, which dropped the price of the tokens from $0.000000153 to $0.00000119.

When Is Kendrick Lamar Releasing A New Album?

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Go ahead and file Kendrick Lamar’s next album as perhaps the most highly anticipated album in not just hip-hop, but in any genre of music right now. The last time Lamar put out an album was in 2017, when DAMN. debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart and went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music in addition to the Best Rap Album Grammy Award. The years since have been filled with rumor after rumor about the next Kendrick Lamar album, including a confirmation that his next release, will be his final album with the TDE Records label that he has been with since day one. And with each subsequent piece of information, we get closer to knowing when this long-awaited release is coming.

When Is Kendrick Lamar Releasing A New Album?

This past August, Kendrick Lamar posted a note on his oklama.com website, where he said: “As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years.” This flared up the excitement for the new album, which was then fueled by Lamar’s Spotify avatar changing in October. It was the first time since the avatar changed in 2017 (the same year DAMN. came out. Coincidence?) Then at November’s Day N Vegas Festival, he closed his performance by saying to the crowd: “Vegas till next time! And when I say next time I mean very soon.”

When 2022 came, a new batch of rumors swirled, including that he’d be debuting new music before his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. That proved to be an unsubstantiated report pushed forth by radio host Ebro Darden. But the latest Kendrick Lamar-related news is the juiciest: Italy’s Milano Summer Festival posted on their Instagram page (in Italian of course) that not only would Lamar be performing at the June 23rd fest, but that he “will play the pieces of the new album, long-awaited by the fans.” Now we’re talking.

Depending on how you look at this statement from the Italian festival, it’s likely that he performs there before the album comes out. Which would mean we’re looking at a summer release. This would keep Lamar eligible for 2023 Grammy consideration, as the cut-off date is typically the end of September.

Meanwhile, Lamar is currently breaking down To Pimp A Butterfly on Spotify’s The Big Hit Show podcast. While TDE’s Terrence “Punch” Henderson has shared that he feels like Lamar is “ready to build his own thing,” following his final TDE album.

Has ‘Donda 2’ Been Released Yet?

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A little under a month ago, Kanye West announced the release date for his next album, Donda 2, setting the palindromic February 22 as his target date. Kanye’s had issues with getting projects out the door on their due dates in the past, so it’s natural to wonder whether Donda 2 continued that pattern. So, has Donda 2 been released yet?

Well, the answer is a little more complicated than you might think. For one thing, it might be hard to tell for a while, because just four days before the album’s expected release, Kanye announced that he would not be putting it on DSPs for streaming. Instead, the album will only be available via his Stem Player device. The gizmo, which operates like any number of other portable midi controllers on the market today, will come preloaded with the album for $200 and can only be purchased from an official website.

Kanye explained his reasoning in an Instagram post, writing, “Today artists get just 12% of the money the industry makes. It’s time to free music from this oppressive system. It’s time to take control and build our own.” With the album coming pre-loaded on a device that would probably take a week to ship, considering the earliest anyone would have known about it was just four days ago, it might be a while before we have concrete confirmation that Donda 2 was released as scheduled.

Lil Durk Menaces His Opps With The Tyrannical ‘AHHH HA’ Video

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Lil Durk fans eagerly awaiting his album’s release today — the same projected date as Kanye West’s Donda 2 release — will have to wait a little longer for the Chicago rapper’s next act. Durk announced the new release date for 7220 via an Instagram post advising the new due date is March 11. However, fans weren’t left empty-handed — along with the announcement, Durk shared the link for his latest 7220 video, “AHHH HA.”

Featuring a menacing, piano-led beat and threatening lyrics, “AHHH HA” is vintage Durk, boasting his street credentials and calling out his opposition. Meanwhile, on the song’s sinister chorus, he shouts out his fallen friend, King Von, while letting listeners know exactly what time it is on the streets of Chicago: “Don’t respond to sh*t with Von / I’m like, ‘F*ck it, you tripping, go get your gun,’” he rhymes.

Prior to dropping “AHHH HA,” Durk had been on a feature verse tear, popping on songs with Cordae (“Chronicles” with HER), Gucci Mane (“Rumors“), 2 Chainz (“Lost Kings” with Sleepy Rose), and Lucky Daye (“NWA“). He also announced his tour for 7220, which begins April 8 in Phoenix and continues through May 2, when it concludes in his hometown, Chicago.

Watch “AHHH HA” above.

7220 is due 3/11.

Drake Delivered A Heartfelt Speech At The Weeknd’s 32nd Birthday Party In Las Vegas

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There once was a time when Drake and The Weekend didn’t appear to be on good terms. Two of the biggest stars from Toronto, Drake brought The Weeknd along into his OVOXO collective over a decade ago. While Drake effectively silenced any talk of a beef with his freestyle in the late-2019 track “War,” we got a pretty good idea of where they stand after Drake’s heartfelt toast at The Weeknd’s 32nd birthday party this past weekend in Las Vegas.

“I was there from day one and I’m grateful not only to be here with my brothers but just grateful that the family is back together where we belong from the greatest city in the world,” Drake said, in a moment DJ Akademiks shared on Instagram.

There were a lot of other moments captured at the party, including a clip of The Weeknd grabbing a mic to sing a long to “Get Busy” by surging Portland rapper Yeat. Also, what’s a party in Vegas without gambling? Future was in the mix as well and he ceased the moment to spark a blunt while playing blackjack with The Weeknd.

Following the birthday celebration, The Weeknd announced earlier today that a live TV special entitled The Weeknd x The Dawn FM Experience will be coming to Amazon Prime Video this Friday, February 26th.

Earthgang Share ‘Amen’ And Confirm The New ‘Ghetto Gods’ Release Date

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In late 2021, Earthgang declared their next album, Ghetto Gods, would be released on January 28, 2022. That date has come and gone and Ghetto Gods is not yet out. Now, though, the duo has revealed the album art while also declaring the album is set for this Friday, February 25.

Earthgang also shared a new song, the Musiq Soulchild-featuring “Amen,” which, predictably given its title, has a gospel influence, especially towards the start of the track, before a hip-hop sound comes more directly to the forefront of the song’s focus.

In a new Rolling Stone interview, WowGr8 says the album represents “motherf*cking absolute certainty” and Olu says, “We realized that the energy of these songs is what we want to go towards. Then, once we started listening back to the records, we were seeing this underlying theme about the present moment. We was like, ‘OK, we’re talking about us finding our light in this wild-ass situation.’” Olu also noted, “We’re so creative, and we have so many great ideas and so many great stories to tell. We feel like it would be to our betterment that we put it in forms where people are able to digest it.”

Listen to “Amen” above.

Ghetto Gods is out 2/25 via Dreamville/Interscope. Pre-order it here.

Pusha T Reveals His New Album Will Have A Collaboration With Jay-Z

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On a new episode of the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, Pusha T revealed that Jay-Z will be on his next album. After talking about his history with the iconic rapper, he mentioned having three songs with him, including the time they worked together on Kanye West’s “So Appalled,” their 2016 collaboration “Drug Dealers Anonymous,” and then said the other is “something from my new album.”

Almost a year ago, he revealed that the album was nearly complete. “I’m working on the album right now,” he said. “I haven’t titled it. Probably 12 [songs]. I usually don’t do a lot of extras. I feel like I have some extras right now but I’m gonna keep 12… I gotta go sit in with ‘Ye for a little bit but other than that it’s just these 12.” He also promised it would be the “the best album that drops in 2021,” and said that he was just waiting to finish the collaboration with Kanye West, which ended up being the first single, “Diet Coke,” that came out just last month. Before releasing it, he teased it with a cryptic (and funny) Instagram post that featured a snippet of the track, which sent the internet into a frenzy of speculation.

Watch the full interview above.

Machine Gun Kelly Helped Introduce The NBA All-Star Lineups And Macy Gray And Earth, Wind & Fire Performed

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NBA All-Star Weekend is about the finest talent professional basketball has to offer, but some of the biggest names in music popped up during the festivities, too. DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne, Lil Baby, Gunna, Ludacris, Migos, and Mary J. Blige performed on Saturday, and yesterday’s actual All-Star Game featured more recognizable music figures taking the stage.

Machine Gun Kelly (who was born in Houston but spent some of his formative years in Cleveland, this year’s All-Star host city) helped introduce the game’s starting lineups by getting the crowd excited, thanking “all the hard workers of this town,” cracking a couple of jokes, and handing things over to DJ D-Nice before the team lineups were properly introduced. Kelly had his fingerprints all over the weekend, as he also played during the celebrity game.

Prior to tip-off, Juno Award nominee Ryland James sang the Canadian national anthem before Ohio native Macy Gray delivered a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Some people online noticed LeBron James seemed amused by Gray’s performance, as he was seen seemingly trying to suppress a smile as she sang.

As for halftime, the mid-game break was mostly focused on a celebration of the 75th anniversary team, although it did feature Earth, Wind & Fire performing their thematically appropriate hit “Shining Star.”

Meanwhile, Adele was spotted courtside (which makes sense given her relationship with sports agent Rich Paul) and caught the attention of the TNT broadcast crew, which prompted Charles Barkley to reckon he and Adele ought to duet. Barkley’s co-hosts quickly and definitively shot that idea down.

Check out the musical highlights from the All-Star Game above.

The Weeknd Announces A Music Special On Amazon, ‘The Weeknd x The Dawn FM Experience’

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The Weeknd is already having a big year after releasing his sixth album Dawn FM. Last month, he achieved the most monthly listeners on Spotify, surpassing Justin Bieber who held that spot since last spring. The star is now teaming up with Amazon for a music special titled The Weeknd x The Dawn FM Experience, which will premiere exclusively through Prime Video this Saturday, February 26.

“I’m ecstatic to partner with Amazon to premiere the most elaborate live TV special I’ve ever done,” The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) said in a statement. “Welcome to the next phase of Dawn FM — a purgatory otherworld where live performance, theater, and performance art collide for a night out at the club.”

The official teaser is out now, and it centers on the strange, older version of Tesfaye who we’ve been seeing on the album cover and in music videos. Tesfaye has suggested that Dawn FM is part of a new trilogy, following the trilogy of House Of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes Of Silence that launched his career. Maybe this new special will provide context to this complicated world that Tesfaye seems to be building.

Watch the teaser for The Weeknd x The Dawn FM Experience above.

Classic Eminem And Dr. Dre Albums Are Back In The Top 10 After The Super Bowl Halftime Show

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This year’s hip-hop-focused Super Bowl Halftime Show — featuring Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent — was generally well-received. It also managed to renew interest in some of the performers’ music, as the new Billboard 200 chart indicates: On the chart dated February 26 (which accounts for listening activity from February 11 to 17, while the Super Bowl was on the 13th), albums by Eminem and Dr. Dre have returned to the top 10 for the first time in years.

Eminem’s Curtain Call: The Hits (a former No. 1 on the chart) had a major rise, as it ascended to No. 8 this week, up from No. 126 the previous week. That’s thanks to about 31,000 equivalent album units earned, an increase of 256 percent. Meanwhile, Dr. Dre’s 2001 rose from No. 108 to No. 9 with about 30,500 units (a 220-percent increase). Its previous peak was at No. 2 on the chart dated December 4, 1999.

This is the first time Curtain Call has found itself in the top 10 since the chart dated March 11, 2006, when it was No. 8. The last time 2001 was in the top 10 was on the May 13, 2000, when it ranked No. 9.

Those albums were well-represented during the halftime show: Eminem performed “Lose Yourself,” while three 2001 songs — “The Next Episode,” “Forgot About Dre,” and “Still D.R.E.,” made the setlist.

Elsewhere on the chart, the smash hit Encanto soundtrack is once again No. 1, for a sixth total week. That ties it with Adele’s 30 for the third-most weeks spent at No. 1 in the last five years (since January 2017). Ahead of those LPs are Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (ten weeks) and Taylor Swift’s Folklore (eight weeks).