Def Jam Reportedly Paid Over $35K For DMX’s Funeral

After DMX passed in April, the late rapper was given a hero’s sendoff, complete with a monster truck to carry his casket to the touching memorial service at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center arena which included a soulful medley performed by Kanye West’s Sunday Service choir and a tender rendition of DMX’s song “Slippin” performed by his daughter.

TMZ reports that according to probate documents for the rapper’s estate, the costs for the extravagant memorial were footed by DMX’s label, Def Jam, where he released many of his groundbreaking early works and returned to record what turned out to be his final album Exodus, which was released posthumously. According to TMZ, the total paid out by the label for the funeral costs came out to $35,228.13, including $7,450 for DMX’s custom casket.

DMX died in April following an overdose that left him comatose for the better part of a week. He was 50. In the wake of his passing, seven of his singles were certified gold or platinum and a number of his peers and contemporaries shared their admiration for him, including Lil Wayne, who said he was “infatuated” with DMX, Swizz Beatz, who gave an impassioned speech at DMX’s funeral, and Jay-Z, who fondly recalled boycotting the 1999 Grammys after he believed X was snubbed and being intimidated to perform after him during their shared Hard Knock Life tour.

Bobby Shmurda Gave Away Free Haircuts And Meals For Father’s Day

Bobby Shmurda is putting his second chance to good use since getting out of prison, finding meaningful ways of giving back to the community since his release earlier this year. Over the weekend, the Brooklyn rapper held a “Father’s Day Give Back Brunch” for 200 families, treating patrons of the Win Shelter in Brooklyn to a meal including Bobby’s own Jamaican favorites: curried chickpeas, jerk salmon, and stewed chicken. In addition, Bobby employed a trio of barbers to give free haircuts to the attendees.

A press release about the event also notes that Bobby gave out toys to the kids, while dads in attendance were given new clothes and books. Among the gifts were action figures, board games, costumes, gaming consoles, jump ropes, sports equipment, and more. When the event wrapped up, the leftovers were delivered to CAMBA Men’s Shelter in Brooklyn to ensure nothing went to waste.

In addition to his acts of community service, which included a toy drive over last year’s holiday season by way of fellow recently released GS9 rapper Rowdy Rebel, Bobby’s been working on making his comeback to music. He reportedly headed straight to the studio upon his release and has songs with Lil Uzi Vert and Quavo, and he’s billed to perform at both Rolling Loud New York and Made In America in Philadelphia this summer.

Lil Nas X Knew His ‘Montero’ Video Was ‘Definitely Going To Hit Fox News,’ Even In The Planning Stages

Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video is an undeniable hit; It currently has over 250 million views on YouTube. Of course, it didn’t arrive without controversy, as more conservative-minded folks didn’t care for some elements on the clip (like Lil Nas X giving Satan a lap dance, for example). The rapper was a guest on the Desus & Mero Showtime series over the weekend, and while on the show, he discussed the backlash to the video.

When asked about the clip, Lil Nas X responded, “I really just wanted to corrupt the youth.” He then quickly broke his faux-serious tone by laughing and insisting he was joking. He went on to note that while he expected to draw the attention of the pundits over at Fox News, he didn’t think the outrage over the video would be as extreme as it was: “Even when I was planning the video, I was like, ‘Oh, this is definitely going to hit Fox News.’ I definitely didn’t expect the outrage as much as it was at all, especially, like, governors tweeting me. Like, you’re a governor. You don’t have anything better to do?”

He also spoke about his “Satan shoes,” saying that he didn’t intend for them to be a big deal: “You know, complete 100-percent honesty: Those sneakers were just supposed to be a thing for fans. I didn’t think it was going to spread outside of my fan base. I was wrong.”

Watch Lil Nas X on Desus & Mero above.

Taylor Swift’s Dad Still Has The Singer’s Guitar Picks From Her ‘Red’ Tour ‘If They’re Needed’

Taylor Swift has been re-recording her old albums. The first was Fearless (Taylor’s Version), released back in April. Now she’s set to do another. The singer revealed her 2013 album Red would be her next re-recorded record. Her fans were excited after hearing the news. One of them was Taylor’s dad, as she revealed in a Father’s Day post for him on Sunday.

“Happy Father’s Day to all the dads but mostly mine, who called me yesterday to remind me he still has guitar picks from the Red Tour, ‘if they’re needed,’” she wrote in a Twitter post.

“In the land of heartbreak, moments of strength, independence, and devil-may-care rebellion are intricately woven together with grief, paralyzing vulnerability and hopelessness,” she wrote. “Imagining your future might always take you on a detour back to the past. And this is all to say, that the next album I’ll be releasing is my version of Red.”

Taylor is surely due for success with Red (Taylor’s Version) as she saw previously saw Fearless (Taylor’s Version) top the album charts. Her next redo is set to be released to the world in November, so hang tight.

Red (Taylor’s Version) is out 11/19 via Republic. Pre-order it here.

Toosii And DDG Agree To A Boxing Match Days After Their XXL Freshman Class Induction

Celebrity boxing matches are all the rage these days. We’re a couple weeks removed from Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul’s matchup. Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson and MMA fighter Brian Maxwell duked it out as well. And we can’t forget Nate Robinson and Jake Paul’s fight at the end of last year. That being said, there are some other names around the celebrity world who want to square off in the ring, two of those being newly-inducted XXL Freshman rappers Toosii and DDG.

Screenshot From XXL

Toosii hopped on Twitter to share his desire for a fight, writing, “I need a boxing match set up.” The tweet came to DDG’s attention after it was reposted by a hip-hop page on Instagram. In response, DDG wrote, “Did somebody say box?” to which Toosi replied, “Let’s set it up.” It appears that there isn’t any bad tension between the two rappers, so if the fight becomes a reality, it should all be in good fun.

This comes days after Toosii and DDG were inducted into the 2021 XXL Freshman class. They joined Blxst, Pooh Shiesty, 42 Dugg, Toosii, Iann Dior, Flo Milli, Coi Leray, Lakeyah, Rubi Rose, and Morray as the other acts on the annual list.

Pooh Shiesty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Polo G Nets The First No. 1 Album Of His Career With ‘Hall Of Fame’

Polo G’s upward trek to stardom has been impressive, to say the least. The Chicago went from a promising upstart with his 2019 debut, Die A Legend, to a name that is undoubtedly worthy of respect with his sophomore effort, The GOAT. The growth in Polo G’s artistry continued with his third effort, Hall Of Fame. The 20-track album was released with guest appearances from DaBaby, Lil Durk, Nicki Minaj, Roddy Ricch, Young Thug, and many more and on Sunday, it officially became the rapper’s first No. 1 album after it topped the Billboard 200.

Hall Of Fame checked in atop the album charts with 143,000 album units sold in its first week, also giving him the biggest sales week of his career. This number is comprised of 124,000 streaming equivalent album units, thanks to 181.9 million on-demand streams of the album’s tracks, and 18,000 pure album sales. Prior to Hall Of Fame debuting at No. 1, Polo G’s highest position on the albums chart was No. 2 which is where his 2020 effort, The GOAT, peaked.

Upon hearing word that Hall Of Fame was projected to go top the Billboard 200, Nicki Minaj, who appeared on “For The Love Of New York” from the album, hopped on Twitter to congratulate the rapper on the new achievement.

“CONGRATULATIONS POLO‼‼‼‼‼‼‼ SOOOOOO FN HAPPY FOR YOU‼‼‼‼ first #1 album,” she wrote. “Chicago, stand TF UP‼ Talented & humble. Stay on ya grind boo. Make sure y’all check out the video he just dropped w|Da Baby too. Dope.”

You can revisit our review of Hall Of Fame here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

DMX’s Fiancée Desiree Lindstrom Shares A Moving Father’s Day Message To Honor The Late Rapper

Earlier this month marked two months since DMX’s death. The rapper passed away after a reported drug overdose that triggered a heart attack which left him on life support for nearly a week. There have been many moments since his death that have brought back memories of DMX. This includes his memorial service and the release of his posthumous album, Exodus.
And Sunday’s Father’s Day holiday is also bringing some past moments involving DMX back to light as his fiancée shared a moving message on Instagram to honor the late rapper.

“SCREAMING HAPPY FATHERS DAY ALL THE WAY TO THE HEAVENS ABOVE,” Desiree Lindstrom wrote under a video of DMX rapping along to the ABC song with their son, Exodus.

“Earl you were such an amazing, protective, loving, inspiring, hands-on, incredible father! I thank God that [Exodus] had a father like you!” she said. “In my eyes you are the best father, a mother [could’ve] asked for when it comes to her child! Thanking God and you for all these memories of you being a wonderful father! I love and miss you so much.”

The love DMX’s children have for the late rapper was captured during a memorial service for his death his 12-year-old daughter, Sonovah, shared a remix of “Slippin” while speaking about her late father.

You can watch the video of DMX and Exodus above.

NLE Choppa Pens An Emotional ‘Love Letter To My Daughter’ To Coincide With Father’s Day

Children in all corners of the world are honoring their dads as Sunday marks Father’s Day. Whether it be classic gifts like a mug or a few new ties, dads from all over are surely enjoying the day. This includes NLE Choppa who is the proud father of a young girl. While the day is certainly his to kick back and relax, the Memphis rapper opted to share a song that captures the love he has with his daughter. Entitled “Love Letter To My Daughter,” the emotional track arrives with a video that shows a softer and more reflective side to the young rapper thanks to intimate moments with his daughter.

The rapper’s new video comes amid an up and down year for him. He recently became one of the latest rappers — joining DaBaby, Mulatto, Pooh Shiesty, and others — to deliver a “Beat Box” freestyle, one NLE Choppa used to celebrate his release from prison.

Two days before the song’s arrival, though, he was arrested in Florida on suspicion of burglary, carrying a concealed firearm, and possession of drugs including Xanax and weed. He posted a $4,500 bond and was released from jail shortly after. Elsewhere in the year, he’s shared videos for “Moonlight” and “Picture Me Grapin,” the former being a track with Big Sean.

You can watch the video for “Love Letter To My Daughter” above.

NLE Choppa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Dame Dash Was Reportedly Trying To Sell His Stake In Roc-A-Fella And Not Jay-Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt’

At the end of last week, the music world was surprised with the news that Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records, which was launched with co-founders Dame Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke, filed a lawsuit against Dash. It accused him of attempted to sell Jay-Z’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt as an NFT, something the record label said he did not have the right to do. Well, it turns out that selling a Reasonable Doubt NFT was not in Dash’s plans. His actual intentions were to sell his entire one-third stake in Roc-A-Fella, which is something he clarified to TMZ.

Dash spoke to the publication in response to the accusations stated in the lawsuit. He claims that Jay-Z tried to buy his entire Roc-A-Fella stake as recently as March, but it was at “a price I deemed unacceptable.” This forced Dash to find a more suitable buyer on his own.

He added, “Under the terms of the deal with a potential buyer, the buyer would buy my share of Roc a Fella Records and Jay-Z will have exclusive administration rights.” Dash also said that the lawsuit filed against him by Roc-A-Fella, who is represented by high-profile lawyer Alex Spiro, was simply a scare tactic to stop him from selling something he believes he has the right to sell.

Court documents from the previously-filled lawsuit said, “Dash can’t sell what he doesn’t own. By attempting such a sale, Dash has converted a corporate asset and has breached his fiduciary duties.” It added, “The court should stop Dash….and hold him accountable for his brazen theft.”

A Twitter Saga Between Megan Thee Stallion And DaBaby Has Erupted Over An Apparently Glitchy Retweet

Phones and social media have always been a source of contention in relationships, and DaBaby learned that the hard way tonight. After the North Carolina rapper retweeted a post that seemed to be supporting Tory Lanez and calling Megan Thee Stallion into question, the “Thot Sh*t” rapper took to the social media platform herself. Here’s the tweet that started it all, that DaBaby’s account had initially retweeted:

“I guess @DaBabyDaBaby and @torylanez cool now bc the both shot somebody and don’t have to do no jail time.” But it’s unclear why DaBaby would tweet this as it isn’t necessarily flattering to him? Anyway, here’s Megan’s first response:

“Support me in private and publicly do something different…these industry men are very strange,” she began. “This situation ain’t no damn “beef” and I really wish people would stop down playing it like it’s some internet sh*t for likes and retweets.”

But according to DaBaby, he never meant to retweet the offending post! He followed up multiple times claiming it was a glitch in the system:

“Baby got enough problems of his own my n—-, ion got nooooo reason to inherit the next MF problems,” he wrote. “Y’all chasing a story y’all ain’t gone get. I’m out n—-s bidness while still successfully doing business. Idk what type of Illuminati sh*t Twitter got goin on.. I ain’t retweet nothing but “Ball If I Want To” promo. I ain’t retweet that silly sh*t. Then once ppl start tagging me & I saw it and tried to delete it and undo the retweet Twitter didn’t let me. Type sh*t yall on?”

Then he quoted Megan’s first irate tweet with this response:

“You done let these folks get the best of you thug. ion got no bad energy for ya. You know like I know I ain’t no “industry” n—- , let em fool you into thinking that you trippin. Stand on what you stand on without feeling like I’m against ya. Stay focused my g.”

Megan didn’t take too kindly to that response, and had her own to fire back — of course, DaBaby also appeared in the “Skat” video with Tory Lanez this week, which is likely part of her issue.

“My stance hasn’t changed at all YOURS has,” she wrote. “We already spoke abt this in private and you specifically said “that ain’t even no good business move why would I promote that sh*t” but now this ain’t your “beef” ? That ain’t real. But you stay on ya “business” my g.”

And DaBaby doggedly still tried to deny it all.

“You ain’t tweeting nothing I ain’t tell dat n—- directly. I told him da same shi*. lol,” he wrote. “Whoever cleared it cleared it, so what. Sh*t still ain’t enough of my bidness for MFs to be feelin some type of way bout my pretty chocolate ass. Gettin into dat don’t feed my ppl.”

Still trying to clear his name, DaBaby lamented the situation once more, noting he doesn’t even fight with the women he dates online like this — and rapper Pardison Fontaine, who has been linked to Megan romantically, saw his chance to jump in.

“Ion even go back n forth w/ my own b*tches on the net now I’m on dis mf goin back n forth w/ another n—- woman about some sh*t another n—- accused of,” he lamented. “How tf dat work? Y’all n—-s hell. Happy Juneteenth tho, we started this b*tch off wit a bang didn’t it ? Luv u Meg.”

And here’s Pardi’s response:

“You a clown ass n—- doin doin clown ass sh*t then tryin to back pedal,” he wrote. “N—- that’s what it is .. u don’t ever gotta address her again.”

Well! Let this be a lesson to watch your retweet button carefully on those verified accounts? Also, full support of Megan and however she decides to deal with and respond to DaBaby’s erratic social media behavior.