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Travis Scott To Make Historical Return To Headline Coachella, Headlining Main Stage

November 20, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Global superstar and cultural trailblazer Travis Scott will once again descend upon the desert for weekends 1&2 of Coachella, headlining the main stage on Saturday night where he will debut an entirely new era of music to the world.

Scott, whose CIRCUS MAXIMUS TOUR has officially sold more tickets globally than any rap tour in history, has also announced a one-of-a-kind Cactus Jack desert takeover, set to occur on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, on both weekends, where the record-breaking artist will curate a fully immersive and experiential world within the desert—more details to be revealed in the coming months.

This past weekend, Artistic Director and Sunday night headliner Travis Scott and Cactus Jack also unveiled their most groundbreaking creative vision yet: CactusCon, which debuted at ComplexCon, showcasing more than 35 exclusive collaborations with today’s leading designers, brands and creatives. An undeniable and unprecedented cultural activation that redefined collaboration and creativity. A bold and immersive celebration of style, art, fashion, and music ever seen

Coachella will return to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA, on April 11 – 13 and April 18 – 20, 2025. For more festival information and updates, please visit www.coachella.com.

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Kodak Black Confirms Drug Use: ‘I’m Too Young to Die Sober’

November 20, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Kodak Black's "Super Gremlin" Tops RapCaviar's Most Streamed Song List for First Half of 2022

Over the last few weeks, Kodak Black has demonstrated concerning behavior in regard to his sobriety. Hitting Instagram Live, Black revealed he is “never sober.”

“For what? For what? Look at this money. Look at all this cash,” Kodak said. “Sober for what? I’m too young to die sober.”

Kodak Black Confesses: ‘I’m Never Sober!’ pic.twitter.com/gLLHfyYsaU

— livebitez (@livebitez) November 17, 2024

Kodak Black raised concerns following his appearance on Kai Cenat’s livestream early this week.

Kodak joined the famed streamer’s 30-day “Mafiathon” livestream, and his behavior immediately caught the attention of all who witnessed his behavior, which many observers described as “tweaking”, a description given to those who are visibly intoxicated or high.

The “Super Gremlin” rapper was sweating profusely and rambling while talking for a large portion of his appearance. At one point, Black even successfully lands a seal shot, where he threw a pill (presumably a Percocet) in the air and caught it in his mouth, which stunned Cenat, who questioned Kodak about what he’s just popped in his mouth. Kodak replied, “It was a glitch for the Twitch.”

Earlier this year, Kodak admitted on IG Live that he had a serious problem with Percocets, saying, “I remember a point in my life when I was chewing a lot of Percs. I’m proud of myself. I’ve never been this happy in my life. I don’t know where this came from, what the fuck going on.”

He added, “Before I just went to jail — I can talk about this because it’s my testimony, ain’t no shame in my shit — I was taking at least 100 Percs. My average was 40 Percocets… to the point where I look at this shit and be like, ‘What the fuck was wrong with me, bruh?’”

With an acute relapse visibly on the horizon, it’s safe to say that Kodak needs to get help before he faces the same fate of so many addicts, both unknown and famous, have faced since the beginning of the opioid crisis in this country almost a decade ago.

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Five Artists Whose Careers Were Sparked By The Late DJ Screw

November 20, 2024 by newhiphopnews

As we celebrate the unparalleled career of the legendary Robert “DJ Screw” Davis Jr. during the week of his passing almost a quarter century ago, we decided to explore some of Houston’s most revered artists and how their career was founded and expanded due to their connection to DJ Screw. As the known originator of the famous “chopped and screwed” sound and the leader of H-Town’s Screwed Up Click, Screw released more than 350 mixtapes before his untimely passing in 2000. With chopped and screwed as his signature sound, he made tapes which he sold out his Screwed Up Records and Tapes store in Houston, solidifying himself as a businessman and a music innovator.

Here are just some of H-Town’s most respected artists that admittedly wouldn’t be where they are today if it weren’t for the foundation laid by the late DJ Screw.

Trae Tha Truth

Houston-born emcee and activist Trae Tha Truth, along with longtime collaborator Z-Ro in their group ABN, made their ascension in the game as members of the legendary Screwed Up Click, with the 44-year-old dropping 11 solo albums, over 25 mixtapes and now serves as VP of T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records. Trae is also well known for his philanthropy as the founder of both Angel by Nature, a charity aimed at helping the impoverished youth of Texas.

Lil Flip

Named Houston’s “freestyle king” by Screw himself, Lil Flip got his break in the game when Screw heard his debut album The Leprechaun on H-Town based label Sucka Free Records and put him down with the Screwed Up Click. Four years later, Flip signed a deal with Sony Urban Music and dropped his third album and first double-disc CD U Gotta Feel Me, which contained the popular single “Game Over(Flip”, earning him his first platinm plaque of his career.

Paul Wall

Even though Pau lWall repped North Houston and was under Michael “5000” Watts’ Swishahouse Records, his most popular singles, 2005’s “Sittin Sidewayz”, which samples a line from Big Pokey’s verse on DJ Screw’s “June 27th” and Mike Jones’ “Still Tippin” remix featuring Screwed Up Click’s Lil Keke and Big Pokey, set the tone for the duration of Wall’s career. Today, Wall is also an accomplished and proficient mixtape and party DJ, known for producing mixtapes in the famous chopped and screwed style, which was invented by DJ Screw.

Big Moe

Originating from Houston, Texas, and as one of the founding members of the “Original Screwed Up Click,” Big Moe started out in music by freestyling on DJ Screw mixtapes like many of his Houston peers. Big Moe’s debut album, City of Syrup, dropped in 2000). The title was a nod to Houston’s reputation for drinking codeine-laced syrup called “lean” or “sizzurp”, which Moe pours from a Styrofoam cup on the album’s cover.

DJ Mike “5000” Watts

In the mid-1990s, chopped and screwed music started to move to the north side of Houston by way of Swishahouse Records founder DJ Michael “5000” Watts. A rivalry between North and South Houston over the true originators of chopped and screwed began to arise, but Michael “5000” Watts always gave credit to DJ Screw as the originator of chopped and screwed music, although Watts has been a proponent of the slogan “screwed and chopped” instead of “chopped and screwed”.

Following the death of DJ Screw, his musical influence spread all over the southern United States. Later in 2000, the Memphis-based group Three 6 Mafia came out with their song “Sippin’ on Some Syrup”. The song debuted as a minor hit but later became one of Three 6 Mafia’s most popular songs.

The 2007 documentary film Screwed in Houston details the history of the Houston rap scene and the influence of the chopped and screwed subculture on Houston hip hop. In 2011, University of Houston Libraries acquired over 1,000 albums owned by DJ Screw. Some of the albums were part of an exhibit in early 2012 and, along with the rest, went available for research in 2013. Today, the chopped and screwed music genre has been added to all forms of streaming services including iTunes, Spotify and has crossed over to receive mass mainstream appeal.

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Happy Heavenly Birthday To A Tribe Called Quest’s Phife Dawg (RIP)! 5 Memorable Phife Verses

November 20, 2024 by newhiphopnews

On this day in 1970, the second lyrical half of A Tribe Called Quest, Phife Dawg was born. Born Malik Isaac Taylor in Queens, New York, Phife was one-fourth of one of the most influential groups in Hip-Hop culture; A Tribe Called Quest. It’s been almost nine years since Phife lost his battle with diabetes, however, his music will live on for eternity.

On many of ATCQ’s tracks, fans have always rightfully celebrated Q-Tip’s lyricism, but rarely gave Phife Dawg his proper due. In the posthumous honor of his birthday, we have put together a list of five of his hottest verses to shine a light on the unsung lyrical phenom that is Phife Dawg.

5. “Electric Relaxation” On this standout track from the album Midnight Marauders, Phife and The Abstract went toe to toe, trading off verse without a hook until the song ended, with standout bars like, “Let me hit it from the back, girl I won’t catch a hernia/Bust off on your couch, now you got Seaman’s Furniture..”and let’s not forget, “I like ‘em brown, yellow, Puerto Rican or Haitian/Name is Phife Dawg from the Zulu Nation..”

4. “La Schmoove” This was a featured verse from Phife Dawg on a track by Brooklyn rap tongue twisters Fu Schnickens. On this track, Phife had the third verse, yet opened it like it was his own song saying,

“Now here I go, once again with the ill flow/Other MC’s that rap, their style is so-so..”

3. “Scenario” Being one of the most popular songs on A Tribe Called Quest’s Low End Theory album, Phife Dawg’s opening verse is one that rings in the ears of many rap fans.

“Ayo, Bo knows this, and Bo knows that/ But bo don’t know jack cause Bo can’t rap//Well what do you know, the Di-Dawg, is first up to bat/No batteries included and no strings attached..”

2. “Award Tour” Another cut from Midnight Marauders, Award Tour was a huge success for A Tribe Called Quest. It also houses some of Phife Dawg’s strongest metaphors.
“I have a quest to have a mic in my hand/without that, it’s like Kryptonite and Superman/So Shaheed come in with the sugar cuts//Phife Dawg’s my name, but on stage, call me Dynomut..”

“So, next time that you think you want something here/Make something dope or take that garbage to St.Elsewhere..”

1. “Buggin Out” Coming from their most popular album, this is regarded as Phife’s illest bars. Phife Dawg spits two of the hardest verses on the album on this one record.
“Yo microphone check one, two, what is this?/The five foot assassin with the roughneck business/I float like gravity, never had a cavity/Got more rhymes than the Winans got family..”

“You soar off to another world, deep in your mind/But people seem to take that, as being unkind/’Oh yo he’s acting stank,’ really on the regal?/a man of the fame not a man of the people/believe that if you want but I tell you this much/riding on the train with no dough, sucks..”

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Today in Hip-Hop History: Mobb Deep Released Their ‘Hell On Earth’ LP 28 Years Ago

November 20, 2024 by newhiphopnews

On this date in 1996, the “infamous” crew from Mobb Deep dropped album number three entitled Hell On Earth. The Mobb-produced project was released under the epic Loud/RCA imprint introduced many of the extended QB/Mobb family including raspy-voiced Twin Gambino, Big Noyd, and a few others. Hav and P enlisted some of the game’s top dogs of the time for this album including their QB brethren Nas, Wu’s Raekwon the Chef, and Method Man.

This certified gold classic was unquestionably a part of the East Coast arsenal against the West Coast during the height of the rivalry, with tracks such as the title track, “Still Shinin’”, and of course, “Drop A Gem On ‘Em”, sending overt threats at Tupac Shakur and his cohorts. Other standout joints include “G.O.D. Pt.III”, where Prodigy drops some street knowledge, “Blood Sport”, and “Give It Up Fast” featuring Noyd and Nas.
This album was also the project that confirmed Havoc’s skills as a producer, which led to several other projects outside of the Mobb.

Salute to P, Hav, Noyd, Gotti, Twin, Ty Nitty, Nas, Rae, Meth, Steve Rifkind, and everyone else involved with this classic album!

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Cordae Announces ‘The Crossroads’ Tour 2025

November 19, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Multi-platinum, 3x GRAMMY® Award-nominated, and Emmy® Award-winning rapper Cordae will embark on The Crossroads Tour in 2025. The 23-city trek kicks off on Wednesday, February 5 at Ace of Spades in Sacramento, CA, making stops in Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Toronto, New York, and more before wrapping up in Chicago, IL at Concord Music Hall on Sunday, March 16.

The Crossroads Tour celebrates Cordae’s critically acclaimed new album, The Crossroads, available now via Atlantic Records HERE. Executive produced by Smoko Ono, The Crossroads features the singles “Mad As Fuck,” “Syrup Sandwiches (feat. Joey Bada$$$)”, ”Saturday Mornings” (feat. Lil Wayne)”, and “Summer Drop” (feat. Anderson . Paak).” The 16-track album contains even more stellar collaborations from Juicy J, Ty Dolla $ign, Jordan Ward, Ravyn Lenae, and Kanye West.

THE CROSSROADS TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2025 DATES:

Wed Feb 05 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades

Fri Feb 07 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo

Sun Feb 09 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom

Mon Feb 10 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom

Wed Feb 12 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom

Tues Feb 18 – Los Angeles, CA – The Novo

Wed Feb 19 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren

Fri Feb 21 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex

Sat Feb 22 – Denver, CO – Cervantes’

Sun Feb 23 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater

Tues Feb 25 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Midtown

Wed Feb 26 – Austin, TX – Emo’s

Fri Feb 28 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre

Sat Mar 01 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground

Sun Mar 02 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring

Tues Mar 04 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts

Thu Mar 06 – Boston, MA – House of Blues Boston

Sat Mar 08 – Montreal, QC – Théâtre Beanfield

Sun Mar 09 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House

Tue Mar 11 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues Cleveland

Wed Mar 12 – New York, NY – Webster Hall

Sat Mar 15 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre

Sun Mar 16 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall

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Museum of Graffiti Art Week Presented By Rolling Loud Announces The Opening Of Its Interactive Campus In Wynwood

November 19, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Museum of Graffiti, the leading contemporary art museum in Miami’s Art District of Wynwood, is celebrating a milestone anniversary of 5 years on December 4 – 6, 2024 with a hand-selected group of partners guaranteed to serve up an experience in culture that Miami has never seen.

Highlights include panel discussions, live performances, limited edition releases, and culinary experiences curated by CookUnity. Don’t miss the private collectors’ preview, a public opening featuring Rahzel, and a thought-provoking panel on “Global Hip Hop Culture Born in Miami.” Additional activities include live tattooing, single-line portraits, rap battles, and exclusive listening parties.

In line with its mission to share the power of expression, spark wonder, and inspire creativity for and about the graffiti art movement, Museum of Graffiti has tapped Rolling Loud for an official partnership guaranteed to pair audio with the visual art that spans 3 different exhibitions in separate buildings that are all connected via an interactive patio that will be home to the Spotify Artists’ Lounge. The three solo exhibitions are CEY ADAMS’ Departure: 40 Years of Art & Design, TRISTAN EATON: Women of Marvel, and SLICK: MIA.

This milestone event showcases the evolution of graffiti art while celebrating the Museum’s mission to inspire creativity and highlight graffiti’s cultural significance.

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Today in Hip-Hop History: Larry Davis Shot 6 Corrupt NYPD Officers And Escaped 38 Years Ago

November 19, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Some say he was 50 Cent before 50 Cent. Some called him “the Robin Hood of The Ghetto”, while the establishment dubbed him “the crack city terminator.” In the hood, his solution is considered the only possible answer to a continuous epidemic of police brutality. Some of your favorite rappers from French Montana to Lloyd Banks to Jay-Z have name-dropped him on their tracks and BET felt he was so important to American culture that their American Gangster series had to open with him, but only an educated few know why the name Larry Davis continues to ring bells almost four decades after that fateful night in November of ’86.

On this date in 1986, a 19-year-old Bronx man by the name of Larry Davis was engaged in a shootout with over 25 NYPD officers who came after him in what appeared to be a murderous hit. For those that don’t know what makes this such a unique story is that Davis not only survived but escaped unharmed long enough to tell his story to the FBI. Larry Davis was acquitted of the police shootings(six officers were critically injured), which was the only time anyone was acquitted for shooting an officer of the law in U.S. history.

Check out the first-hand account from someone who was with Davis on that cold night in the Bronx at Larry’s sister’s apartment on Webster Avenue.

Words: Shams DaBaron

November 19, 1986 is a night that forever changed the course of my life. It was the height of the crack epidemic on this cold winter night when I was meeting with my partner and best friend Larry Davis. We were discussing the trip we were taking the next day to California to avoid the heat he was experiencing from some corrupt cops he sold drugs for. For weeks he had been laying low knowing they had a bounty on his head. At the time no one could be trusted. The police were rolling up on anyone associated with Larry to find out where he was.

On this night, I sat with him in his sister’s apartment discussing our plans for the trip we were taking and making final arrangements with one of my associates to restructure some of the business dealings in the street. Larry was in the process of extricating himself from out of that lifestyle of dealing drugs and we were going to refocus our energies totally toward dealing in music. The decision was made months ago, but became complicated once Larry made his plans known to others and the corrupt cops caught wind of his decision to step off with their money. They then put a bounty on his head.

As he was explaining what was going on in the streets to my associate, the associate became very scared and verbalized his fears to us, while asking Larry if he himself was in fear for his life. Larry’s reply, “Well, no I’m not scared. The only person I fear is God… Don’t get me wrong, I don’t wanna die, but if it’s my time to die, then so be it…” At this point I’m ready to tune him out and dismiss his words as Larry just talking mess… But then he continued, “One thing, though, I will say is… if they come and kill me, I guarantee you that before I go, I’m a take one of those pigs down with me.”

Hearing him use the term “pigs” is what really caught my attention. It showed that even in the most negative of situations – having been a drug dealer for a group of corrupt NYC cops – Larry was still in some way affected by the pro-Black organizations that gave birth to our generation. The seeds of their struggles were planted in us whether we knew it or not. And to me, it seems, that on that fateful night of November 19, 1986, the spirit of those freedom fighters, and the spirit of that movement, guided his thoughts and actions and helped him overcome the overwhelming force that came to assassinate him.

What is even more significant and what we must keep in mind while Remembering Larry Davis is that on that night of November 19, 1986, Larry became what famed lawyer William Kunstler called “A symbol of resistance to police violence.”

Shams DaBaron
Larry’s Childhood Friend

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Andre 3000 Says His ‘New Blue Sun’ Album Doesn’t Count Towards His Contract With Epic Records

November 19, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Andre 3000 Reveals He Auditioned for 'Fast & Furious' Film

André 3000 recently revealed a surprising detail about his long-awaited debut solo album, New Blue Sun. Despite its critical acclaim and a nomination for Album of the Year at the 2025 Grammys, the project doesn’t count toward fulfilling his contract with Epic Records. In an interview with journalist Touré, the OutKast icon shared his initial confusion and eventual understanding of this contractual stipulation.

“They congratulated me on the process, they congratulated me on what the work was, but contractually, it’s very interesting. My label will not count this album against my contract — this is as a solo artist,” André said, referencing his unconventional flute-based project.

After consulting his lawyer, André learned that the stipulation dates back to the 1970s, when some artists tried to fulfill their record deals by submitting low-effort or unconventional material. Labels countered this by requiring new works to align with the artist’s previous output.

“I didn’t understand it at first and we tried to find ways around it,” he admitted. “But my attorney explained it in this way: it was invented in the ’70s maybe, when artists were trying to get out of their deals so they were just pretty much turning in anything. It says, ‘The next recording has to be 90 percent like the recording before it.’”

He added, “It stops you from turning in 10 tracks of handclaps and saying, ‘This is my album.’ And I get it! But Sylvia [Rhone] and the team have been so supportive. They know I’m not turning in a handclap album — they get it. But as a business, this is the stance they took.”

Despite the setback, André isn’t rushing to leave Epic Records. He remains focused on creating music and has confirmed that he’s already working on another album. While keeping details under wraps, he shared that the new project is well underway.

“Oh, for sure,” he said when asked about a follow-up to New Blue Sun. “At this point, I’m just trying to keep the momentum. There’s such a thing as creative momentum. The next stuff is very interesting, too. We’re almost a third — or halfway — into it.” However, he noted there’s no set release date. “I don’t know when it will be ready. Who knows.”

For now, fans can continue to celebrate André 3000’s latest artistic evolution while eagerly awaiting the next chapter in his legendary career.

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